Air Conditioning Maintenance is Key to Beating the Spring Time Heat!
Let’s face it; the weather here in Hampton Roads has been a bit unpredictable lately. This spring might even bring some early summer heat waves. If you find yourself unprepared for the heat, living conditions can go from uncomfortable to unbearable in no time.
That’s why proper maintenance of your air conditioning unit is so important.
Most units have a life-cycle of 10 to 15 years. If proper maintenance is neglected, it can be a lot less. What that entails is having the condenser coil cleaned (which helps preserve the longevity of the compressor), having moving parts lubricated and electrical connections, components, thermostat, filters and refrigerant charge checked.
If you recently purchased a new air conditioning unit for your Hampton Roads home, then your local air conditioning service professional might already be scheduled for a maintenance check-up every three or six months. However, here are two simple and cost-effective tweaks that will maximize comfort and reduce major repair costs:
• Change or clean your AC filter every month. It is the easiest and most cost effective maintenance you will do. By changing or cleaning your AC filter you are removing particles from the air stream to both keep the AC unit clean and remove particles from the air. A clean filter in an AC unit will help prevent failure in the long run.
• Maintain the unit outside free from debris and leaves and maintaining that area clean to avoid unwanted debris to get into your outside unit. Additionally, to give the fan in your unit a break – turn your air conditioner down or even raise the temperature to 78° in the summer and down to 65° in the winter if you are going to be away for a day or more.
As a safety tip, before starting any work on your AC unit you should make sure to turn off the power to the condenser and the evaporator. Also make sure the condenser unit is not covered as it needs as much fresh outdoor air possible to function properly.
If you do not have a routine maintenance already scheduled and have an older air conditioning system, ask your service contractor to add a regular semi-annual inspection option to your service contract. It will decrease costs over the entire life of the air conditioning unit. For a complete list of local Hampton Roads dealers, please click here.