The last thing you need in the middle of a scorching hot summer’s day is to have your air conditioner break down. When it does, you might have to replace your entire system or pay for costly repairs just to feel cool and comfortable again. With regular air conditioner maintenance, you could avoid an HVAC system breakdown and never skip a beat. Here are some reasons why air conditioner maintenance is necessary.
Save Money
Perhaps the most important reason to consider regular AC maintenance is the fact that it can save you thousands of dollars in unforeseen costs. When your HVAC system breaks down, it often does so without warning. With preventative maintenance, your HVAC professional will catch major problems before they happen and provide you with affordable and reasonable solutions to fix the problem. Not having regular maintenance performed on your AC unit will shorten its lifespan, meaning you’ll need to replace the system far sooner than you would have to if you had regular air conditioner maintenance.
Save Energy
When you have an HVAC system that is broken, it can cause your energy costs to spike as it requires more energy than a fully-working HVAC system. Having a regularly scheduled tune-up for your AC unit can decrease your air conditioner’s operating efficiency, which means that your air conditioner will effectively use less energy as time goes on. This enables your air conditioning system to provide cooler air for less money and energy and can effectively double the lifespan of your system.
What Does Regular Maintenance Do?
If you have regular maintenance performed on your AC unit, your heating and cooling professional will inspect, repair, and replace any broken parts to ensure your AC is running smoothly. They will inspect each of the following parts to make sure your air conditioner does not have any potential problems:
Filters
The most important reason to have regular maintenance performed on your air conditioning system is to routinely replace or clean filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and significantly reduce your system’s efficiency. Simply replacing a dirty filter can result in far lower energy consumption and lower energy costs.
While newer filters are often reusable, if you have an older air conditioner you may have to completely replace your filters. If your filters are reusable, consider regular maintenance to have them cleaned
Coils
Air conditioning systems have two types of coils: evaporator coil and condenser coil. Over time, these will both collect dirt and grime, especially if your filter goes unmaintained. Dirt in your evaporator coil or condenser coil reduces the system’s ability to absorb heat, meaning more hot air gets trapped inside your house and the system has to work even harder to produce cold air.
Coil Fins
The aluminum fins on evaporator and condenser coils are easily bent and can block airflow through the coil. Air conditioning wholesalers sell a tool called a “fin comb” that will comb these fins back into nearly original condition. A trusted HVAC expert will be able to properly “comb” your systems coil fins.
Condensate Drains
Clogged drain channels prevent a unit from reducing humidity, and the resulting excess moisture may discolor walls or carpet. Unclogging drains ensure no humidity or moisture damage occurs while keeping your home cool.
Check Refrigerant
Using a leak detector, your air conditioner service will test for refrigerant leaks and capture any refrigerant that must be evacuated from the system. Allowing refrigerant to be released into the atmosphere is illegal, so be sure to have a trusted professional perform any refrigerant leaks.
What You Should Do
It is important to call a trusted professional to perform regular, routine maintenance on your HVAC system. Home Comfort Experts are here to perform AC maintenance that will start saving you money in energy costs. Our experts have a reliable 20-Point Air Conditioning Maintenance & Safety Inspection plan that ensures your air conditioner is running smoothly, efficiently, and effectively. Ask about joining the Comfort Club, Home Comfort Expert’s exclusive membership that guarantees appointments and provides valuable free services and discounts on repairs.
Contact the heating and cooling professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to learn about the ways we can help you. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to learn about our full complement of heating, cooling and plumbing services.