Air conditioning units often operate for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week during the heat of the summer months.
You want to be sure that your air conditioner cools your home when you need it to. Following these seven easy steps ofHVAC maintenance, you can extend the life of your air conditioner.
Have Annual Tune-ups
One key step to increasing the longevity of your air conditioner is to work with a quality company such asMill Creek Mechanical. Scheduling an annual tune-up for your air conditioner will ensure that it operates efficiently during the summer season. Each spring, call your HVAC technician to schedule an appointment. During the tune-up, your technician will note any areas of concern that can be fixed before they become a more costly issue.
Change Air Filters
A step that you can take to extend the life of your air conditioner is to change the air filters on a regular basis.
This will ensure that the filters do not become clogged with the particles that they remove from the air.
Clogged filters create additional stress on the components of your air conditioner, which will shorten its operational life.
Remove Debris
Through the fall and winter, leaves, branches, grass clippings, and other debris accumulate around your outdoor air conditioning unit.
Before turning your air conditioner back on in the spring, remove everything within two feet of your unit. This includes pruning any bushes that have grown too close.
Clean your Outdoor Unit
After you have clipped back the bushes and raked the leaves, you now need to wash away the dirt from your outside condensing unit.
You can use your garden hose to spray in and around your outdoor unit. While you are spraying water on the unit, check the condition of the components of the compressor. Share any observations with your technician.
Check for Air Circulation
Not only does the air around your outside unit need to flow, but the air circulation indoors is important too.
Make sure to remove anything that is blocking the vents in your home. Carpets move over time, toys get dropped, and other furniture gets shifted, all these household items can block your air condition vents.
Install a Smart Thermostat
There are a number of different thermostats that you can have installed by your HVAC professional.
Some thermostats let you adjust the temperature setting of your home remotely; others have features that allow you to preprogram temperature settings for the upcoming week.
Using these tools to adjust your temperature settings can reduce the hours that your air conditioner operates.
Use Shades, Blinds, and Curtains
Another great way to extend the life of your air conditioner is to reduce the heat in your home.
Using window treatments to block or filter the sun entering the rooms of your home can alleviate the stress on your air conditioning unit.
Window treatments can still let the light in but reduce the amount of heat. This lessens the work that your air conditioner needs to do.
Enjoy the cool air when you turn on your AC!
