Keeping your central air unit well maintained doesn’t take a lot of work, but it’s important to stay on top of these tasks to ensure your unit stays in tip-top shape. If you neglect basic maintenance, you could be allowing small problems to become bigger over time, which can lead to higher repair bills for you. Here are three things you can do to ensure your central air unit is functioning properly through preventive maintenance.
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Replace the filter regularly
This is a fairly easy task to do but it’s vital that you keep up with this to ensure a clean filter. A clean filter means your air conditioner runs more efficiently, leading to lower energy bills and the less likelihood of repairs down the road. According to Energy.gov, you can reduce your air conditioner’s energy consumption by five to 15 percent when you replacing a dirty filter with a clean one. When your filter is clogged with dirt, the air flow gets blocked, preventing fresh air from flowing through. Change your filter at least twice per season, advises A/C maintenance technicians.
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Give your unit a tune-up
Before you even think about turning on your A/C unit for the summer, go through a checklist of tune-up procedures to ensure it will work properly when you do switch it on. Do this well in advance of hot weather so you can have time to troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Nothing’s worse than going to turn on the air conditioner on the first 90-degree day of the season only to find it doesn’t work. As part of your A/C unit checkup, be sure to inspect for leaks, replace any worn belts, lube up all motorized parts and test the thermostat. A/C maintenance checks may turn up some problems with your unit that should be addressed right away. Possible problems could include:
- the unit failing to turn on
- poor job of cooling the surrounding space
- dramatic fluctuations in temperature
- dripping water
- leaks or weird noises emanating from the central air unit
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Clean the condenser and check coolant lines
Among all the tune-ups you should do, these two are extremely important to the overall functionality of your unit. When cleaning the condenser, make sure the unit is off and then remove the side panels of the condenser. Then, you can get to work brushing off the coils with a vacuum attachment. Don’t forget to get the dirt from the fan blades, which can really accumulate over the months. Clean out the drain and get rid of any debris that may be clogging it. Move on to the coolant lines by ensuring the tubes carrying refrigerant are properly insulated. If not, replace the worn insulation and apply new material to ensure the tubes stay cool.
These tasks can be done by the average to moderate DIY’er. If you feel uncomfortable tackling any of these maintenance jobs, call in a professional to handle them for you. This way, accuracy and professionalism is ensured, giving you a top-quality value. Call for an A/C maintenance appointment well in advance of the summer months, as this is a busy time of year for companies.
