Your air conditioner is developed to withstand the vast majority of what Mother Nature can throw at it, but this doesn’t mean you can ignore it year-round. As with all home appliances, routine maintenance checks are mandatory for not only long life spans but for saving you boat-loads of money in repairs caused by neglectfulness.
But how often should you be checking your air conditioning unit? And what should you be checking? We at Romaniuk love making the lives of our customers more comfortable, so follow this guide if you are planning on making routine checks for your air conditioner.
How Often Should I Check?
There is no such thing as performing too many maintenance checks. The more knowledge you have on the status of your air conditioner, the better you will be equipped to deal with a problem should one ever arise.
But if you’re not someone to spend an hour every week checking on the status of your air conditioner, then checking the system yourself once every season should be enough. Having a professional check the levels of your refrigerant, and the overall health of your compressor and capacitors should be done about once a year.
What Should I Be Looking For?
A maintenance check doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know what you’re looking for. For a lot of the components involved in operating an air conditioner, you will need to talk to a professional to have them properly checked. However, there are a handful of things you can check yourself to help ensure your air conditioner is ready for the seasons ahead.
- The air filter. You can check the air filter of your heating and cooling system and replace it if it seems dirty. The cleaner the filter, the easier it will be for your A/C to pump the warm air out of your home and make it cooler.
- Check the lines between the outside condenser unit and your home. Looking for damages or freezing can mean different things, but a simple check will only take a few seconds to determine if anything is wrong or not.
- Look for freezing. Freezing on the lines, condenser, or cold coil usually means there is a leak in your refrigerant, and it will need replacement. Talk to our HVAC experts if you find any signs of freezing in your air conditioning system.
- Are the blower motors working? You can find blower motors inside your furnace and the condenser unit, as well. If they are starting to seize, it is possible the motors have been shorted or might be blocked. Speak to an HVAC expert to find out the underlying cause.
- Check how fast your air conditioner responds to your thermostat. If you are finding there is quite a bit of time needed to get to the temperature you want, there is a possibility there might be something malfunctioning with your thermostat.
- Clear all debris from your outside unit. Blockages can cause ventilation problems inside the condenser leading to dirty coils, a frozen compressor, and more.
Speak to A Professional
Our HVAC professionals are here to help you make the most of your home heating systems, which is why it is a great practice to have one of our experts come and check your air conditioning system at least once a year. and schedule your check-up today!