Air Conditioner Maintenance 101: What Can You Do On Your Own?

Your air conditioner system is a great luxury, but it can also be a great expense when something goes wrong. The repair bill can be quite high, especially in an emergency situation when you need to call in the technician at an odd hour or on the weekend. You cannot give up the luxury of air conditioning, so your only option is to limit what you spend on air con services. How do you do that? There are a few options:

-  Be religious with maintenance duties so your air conditioner needs fewer repairs. 

-  Hire air con services to perform yearly check-ups on your system, replacing parts as needed so major breakdowns are avoided. 

-  Use your air conditioner with care.

If you follow these three basic steps, you can cut down on expenses paid out to air con services. The biggest key is learning how to maintain your air conditioner, and then becoming religious about those maintenance duties.

Changing the Filter

This is the absolute least you can do for your air conditioning system. The air conditioner must push air through the filter in order to work properly. When it is dirty, the system has to work very hard to get the air through. This places a strain on the system and can affect how long it remains functional in your home. It also affects how much cool air is pumped into your home and how much energy the system uses during operation.

Besides losing money when the system goes out from being run on dirty filters, you will have high electricity bills when operating on dirty filters. It simply takes more energy to force air through a dirty filter. Getting particles of dirt and debris in your air from the dirty filter is another issue.

Most filters need to be changed once a month, but there are some designed to last up to six months.

Outdoor Clean Up

The area around your outside air conditioning unit must be kept clear at all times. Notice that there are vents around the sides of the air conditioner. Those vents need to remain clear and unblocked, or the air conditioning system can be affected negatively.

If you have plants growing around the air conditioner, make sure there is enough space between the plants and the air conditioner so the vents can properly release and draw in air. Do not let these plants overgrow or they will negatively affect your air conditioner. Anything else that could block the vents should be moved as well.

Thermostat Watch

Keep an eye on your thermostat as well, since many people do no notice right away when it stops functioning properly. If it malfunctions, your home will not be kept at the right temperature and your air conditioner could turn on more or less frequently than it should. If you notice irregular temperatures inside your home or the temperature doesn't seem to match what the thermometer says, it might be time to call for air con services.

These simple maintenance tasks will help you cut down on the air con services bill...but only if you remain vigilant in your care!

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