Keeping your air conditioner working at its best doesn’t take much work. Handling a few minor tasks throughout the year is important to ensure the longest service life, the lowest monthly power bills, the greatest level of comfort, and the smallest chance of a breakdown.
Comfort First Heating & Cooling is here to explain why you need to maintain your AC and how you should go about it for the best results.
Why Air Conditioning Maintenance Matters
Over the course of a year of operation, an air conditioner accumulates wear and tear:
- Parts become noisier and need lubrication.
- Mechanical parts wear down a little from friction.
- Electrical connections might loosen.
- Dust accumulates and blocks airflow.
- Ducts might leak conditioned air.
- Thermostats might become miscalibrated.
If any of these things happen, your system needs to work harder to deliver the cool air you need, which makes the other problems more likely to occur, creating a feedback loop.
By taking care of these minor issues as they arise, your AC will work with less effort and develop fewer issues, letting you spend less on electricity and avoid early replacement. You’ll also be much less likely to deal with a system breakdown or malfunction on a hot day.
How Often Should You Service Your AC?
Different maintenance tasks have different timelines. If you have pets, high levels of dust, or other contaminants in the air, your air filter might need to be changed monthly instead of every three months.
General AC maintenance, the kind best left to a professional, should be scheduled once a year, ideally before the temperatures start to rise in the spring. That way, your system can take on the summer highs in top condition.
Step-by-Step Guide to DIY AC Maintenance
For the kind of maintenance that a homeowner can handle, the process is simple and quick once you know what you’re doing. You’ll want to:
- Turn off the power before starting any maintenance by turning the thermostat off and switching off the circuit at your electrical panel.
- Clean or replace the air filters on your return vents.
- Ensure all supply and return vents are open and unobstructed.
- Clear away any debris around the indoor or outdoor units to ensure a 2-foot clearance around them.
- Inspect and clean your system’s condenser and evaporator coils for dirt, dust, grime, etc.
- Inspect fins and ducts for any obvious obstructions, damage, or debris accumulation.
When to Call a Professional HVAC Technician
Many tasks need to be handled by a professional if you want to keep up with your AC maintenance and enjoy the full value of your system.
During an annual tune-up, a professional will handle advanced tasks, such as:
- Checking and recharging refrigerant levels
- Adjusting and tightening electrical components
- Lubricating and/or replacing mechanical components
- Testing and calibrating thermostats
By doing this, you’ll need fewer repairs, extend the service life of your system, cut your monthly energy bills, and keep your home’s air more consistently cool and clean.
Depending on your system and other factors, a maintenance plan should cost between $100 and $300 a year but save you more in the long run.
Contact an HVAC technician as soon as anything odd happens to your system, even if it seems to still be running fine, for full peace of mind.
Common AC Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest maintenance errors a homeowner can commit include:
- Skipping filter changes
- Using the cheapest filters
- Blocking vents with furniture
- Not keeping up with professional maintenance
Schedule Professional AC Maintenance with Comfort First
If it’s time for your annual tune-up, let Comfort First Heating & Cooling handle everything for you quickly and completely today.
We service all brands and offer convenient maintenance agreements for all your HVAC and plumbing systems, making it easier to keep up with everything.
Contact Comfort First today to schedule AC maintenance in the Triangle, Sandhills, Triad, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and the Outer Banks.
