With proper care and maintenance, most central air conditioners last between 15 and 20 years and oh, what a run for their money we can give them along the way.
Whether you keep your air conditioning system humming along all summer or turn it on only on the hottest days of the year, there isn't an air conditioner in California that wouldn't benefit from a little TLC to keep it running smoothly and efficiently.
The Importance of a Seasonal Maintenance Check
Proper care and maintenance of your air conditioning system begins with a seasonal maintenance check with Experts In Your Home – even if you don't hear, smell or otherwise sense that something might be amiss. Our technicians methodically inspect, clean and lubricate the major components of your air conditioning system – from the thermostat to the condensate drain. When we discover a minor glitch or malfunction, we consider that a great day's work because nine times out of 10, that early discovery thwarts the development of a bigger, more expensive repair down the road.
What You Can Do
While there is no substitute for a professional maintenance check, there is still plenty you can do, and do today, to make your air conditioner's job easier. First, locate the owner's manual and familiarize yourself with the components of your air conditioning system by reading the instructions and following the diagrams. And if you feel your confidence flagging at any point, remember that Experts In Your Home is one phone call away.
Begin indoors
- Test the thermostat and air conditioner by running it through a start and stop cycle.
- Check the filter every month and replace it when it becomes mired in dust and dirt. A clogged filter restricts air flow, causing the air conditioning system to work longer to cool your home, which in turn costs you more money. In the worst cases, a stuffed filter can cause the blower motor to to falter and fail.
- Check the registers in your home and make sure they're not obscured by furniture, drapes, toys or other impediments. Lift the registers and, with a vacuum attachment, reach inside and clean inside and around the area. (Like many of our customers, you might make an interesting discovery, beyond the usual coins and small toys!).
- Follow the trail of ductwork in your home with a flashlight and keep an eye out for cracks, holes, fragmented connections or mastic tape that is in disrepair. This is step one; step two involves repairing and sealing the ducts so that the cool air you're paying for doesn't escape. A third and ideal step: insulating the ducts.
- Try to get used to a higher indoor temperature, if possible. We realize that people have different comfort levels. But under the heading of “making your air conditioner's job easier,” the fact is that you can save up to 10 percent on your energy bill for every degree that you set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in the summer.
Turn to the outdoors
- Create a 2-foot clearance zone around the condensing unit and an 8-foot clearance zone above it by clearing plants, shrubs, tree branches and any other obstruction that could impede air flow. While there, check for nests made by insects, birds and other wildlife and remove them.
- Grab your garden hose, open the condensing unit and rinse off the aluminum fins surrounding the coils. They might be dirty or covered with grass, leaves and twigs. Either way, the fins are rather delicate, so use a slow to moderate stream of water to reduce the risk of damage.
- As strange (or comical) as it might sound, consider installing a small fence around the unit if you have a pet who has “marked” his territory there. Pet urine can be very damaging to the condensing unit – and, trust us, was no laughing matter to our customers who had to confront the repair bill.
- You wouldn't be the first or last person to send a “distress signal” to Experts In Your Home during this process. And while we're delighted to come to the rescue, be prepared for us to take you a bit off the reservation of making your air air conditioner's job easier to protecting your air conditioning system. After all, you can't maintain what you don't have, and we make no apologies for feeling protective toward our customers.
- Obscuring your air conditioner behind a tall hedge or locked fence carries the twin benefit of shading it for greater efficiency and deterring thieves. It's not so much the heavy, clumsy unit that most thieves are after but the valuable copper that lies inside and is later sold as scrap metal.
At Experts In Your Home, we want to make sure that our customers' air conditioners last at least as long as expected – so that our customers can give them a full run for the money every hot step of the way.
Schedule a maintenance check today with a local Chico A/C expert from Experts In Your Home by clicking below!
