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Air Conditioning Maintenance Guide from Professional Heating & Cooling Specialists
Whether you have a ductless air unit or a central heating and cooling system, understanding air conditioning maintenance will allow you to improve energy efficiency, indoor air quality and the overall comfort of your home or office. To help you get started, the HVAC professionals at Airtemp Service Co., Inc. in New Jersey have created an extensive guide to AC upkeep, providing you with everything you need to know to extend the lifespan of your unit and avoid expensive repairs or system replacement.
Six Air Conditioning Maintenance Tips from Our Heating & Cooling Pros
- Understand Your Unit
Review the user’s guide that came with your system when it was installed in order to understand how it works. If you can’t find the guide, contact the manufacturer or your trusted air conditioning repair service. Regardless of the brand or particular model, all cooling systems basically work the same: an exterior unit serves as the compressor and condenser, while an interior unit acts as the evaporator. Ductless systems are much easier to understand, as they are usually located very close to one another on your property. Standard central HVAC systems, on the other hand, are a bit more complicated, as they are made up of many components, such as vents and ducts, which are located throughout your home or office building. Knowing what type of equipment, you have and following basic maintenance procedures will protect your system from unnecessary wear and tear.
- Clean Regularly
Your heating and cooling system relies on a steady flow of air to work properly. Over time, debris could collect near the fan on the exterior unit, as well as inside your vents and ducts on the interior of your home or office. Throughout the year, make sure to check your exterior unit for leaves, grass or other debris that could prevent air flow. You should also clean thoroughly around all interior components, especially intake vents, to remove dust, pet hair, and other debris that could be clogging your ductwork. Whenever airflow is compromised, the cooling system needs to work extra hard, thus increasing chances of overheating, tripping the circuit breaker, and potentially damaging your unit. Simple cleaning tasks like vacuuming vents and dusting regularly will help keep your AC in great condition, though you may also want to invest in a thorough duct cleaning service.
- Replace Filters
Inspecting filters and changing them out regularly is a vital part of air conditioning maintenance. Similarly, to intake vents, ducts and fans, debris will collect on HVAC filters quickly, thus protecting your system from reduced air flow and maintaining good indoor air quality. However, in order to reap the benefits of using a filter, it must be checked regularly and replaced as needed. This is particularly true if there are any pets, smokers, or people who suffer from allergies in your home or office. You can use the following as a guide for when to replace your HVAC filter:
- One to two-inch filter: everyone to two months
- Four-inch filter: every two to four months
- Five-inch filter: every three to six months
When in doubt, you can either check the user’s guide for your particular system or ask your personal or commercial air conditioning maintenance service.
- Conduct Inspections
While cleaning components and replacing filters are both important aspects of air conditioning maintenance, conducting regular inspections will help you guarantee that there are no serious problems with your ductless air unit or central HVAC system. During the change of seasons, carve out some time to carefully inspect your exterior unit for any potential damage with electrical or mechanical components. You can start by ensuring that all electrical connections are intact, the fan isn’t showing any signs of overworking such as excessive noise, and there are no mysterious liquids around the base. This would also be a good time to make sure yard debris like leaves, grass clipping, or woodchips aren’t blocking the in-take vent on your unit. Then, check your interior components—there shouldn’t be any inexplicable air leaks in your ducts or strange noises coming from your central unit. If you identify any issues, don’t hesitate to contact your local air conditioning repair company.
- Improve Energy Efficiency
If you really want to reduce the workload of your air conditioning unit and thus minimize chances of anything going wrong with your system, you should find ways to improve energy efficiency in your home or office. Begin by considering how you use your AC—do you tend to set a temperature on the thermostat and keep it running day in and day out without stopping? If so, you should find ways to keep your building cool without relying only on your air conditioning. Easy ways to do this include closing blinds and curtains during the day to reduce the amount of sunlight entering rooms, as well as avoiding using the oven during the hottest months of the year.
- Install Additional Equipment
Digital thermostats, attic fans, air cleaners, and humidifiers are all additional pieces of equipment that you can install to cool your home more efficiently without only relying on your HVAC system. Less stress on your AC unit means less maintenance, leading to a longer life and savings. Digital thermostats are advantageous if you spend a lot of time outside of your home or office, as you can program them to turn your air conditioning unit on and off during certain hours of the day. Attic fans get rid of all the hot air that rises in your house, thus reducing the need to run your AC as much. Air cleaners cut down on the amount of debris that could find their way into your ducts, and humidifiers can improve indoor air quality and decrease the need to use the AC.
Get Affordable Air Conditioning Maintenance Support
For reliable air conditioning maintenance in New Jersey, contact our team at Airtemp Service Co., Inc. today.