Do you know that an air conditioner loses 5% of its efficiency each year? It is impossible to avoid air conditioner repair costs without maintaining it properly. While regular service and maintenance efforts may seem to be cumbersome but they’re better than spending a fortune on getting an A.C. system repaired or replaced.
What if we told you that with just a few easy maintenance steps, you can keep your unit as efficient as a new one and avoid costly repairs? Would you be interested to know how to make that happen? If yes, then here’s how to maintain your air conditioner to prevent costly air conditioner repair and keep it efficient.
From the two types of air conditioning units, central air conditioners, and room air conditioners, the former ones are common in U.S.A.
Maintenance tips for central air conditioners
- If you own a central air conditioner, there are two main components that you need to maintain. The first one is the condenser. The condenser is outside the home on the small concrete pad. The second one is the evaporator coil which mounted on the main duct over the furnace. Apart from these, components like motor, blower and duct system are also essential.
- The evaporator must be cleaned each year without any delay. Also, adequate cleaning of this unit helps to maintain the efficiency of your air conditioning system. Though you can try to repair this by yourself, we recommend hiring professional air conditioner repair services as they can do the job more adequately.
- Make sure the underside of the evaporator and the tray below the evaporator are clean.
- You can even pour a tablespoon of chlorine bleach in the hole inside the tray to prevent fungus growth.
- The condenser is one of the equipment that gets the maximum amount of dirt, dust, and debris because of its placement outside the home. Though hiring a professional service would do the job but make sure you keep these things in mind while getting this part cleaned.
- Remove any weeds or grass around the condenser for it may obstruct the air flow.
- Make sure fins are clean. And be careful while getting this done as fins get damaged very easily because of their fragile nature.
- Apart from this, make sure that the condenser stays covered during the winter season. A condenser cover protects the unit from leaf blockage and ice damage.
Maintenance tips for room air conditioners
Though rare in U.S.A, we still want to share some important maintenance tips for such units. Proper maintenance of room or window air conditioners makes sure that they work at optimum efficiency levels.
- In this kind of A.C. unit, the filter is vital. Make sure you change the filter every month in warm weather. If the atmosphere is dusty, replace the filter twice a month.
- There are many units with washable filters. So, instead of replacing them, you can wash the filters with water and a mild detergent. Make sure the filter is dry before you put it back.
- Another important component is the power cord which may get worn out over the period. Get it checked on regular basis to see if it is functioning properly or not. An improper functioning of power cord may damage the entire unit. So, be careful.
- Condenser and evaporator coils also need to be cleaned once a month during summer.
- Also, hire a professional service to make sure that the thermostat works fine.
- Drain ports must also be cleaned for they get clogged very often leading to leaks from the unit.
Understand that good maintenance not only saves yours from paying for future air conditioner repair but also lowers the energy bills leading to greater savings.
