01/06/2022
Some tips on maintaining your AC system:
Tip #1: Change the Air Filter
The air filter becomes clogged over time, and this especially becomes a problem when it is dusty outside. The air filter will be filled with dust, debris and other particles that you want to clean out. A daily buildup of these particles can lead to your air conditioner working much harder, which is going to raise your energy bill much higher, and it will also increase the risk of it breaking down from problems. When you regularly replace or clean the air filter, you lower the load that the HVAC unit has to clean.
As a general rule of thumb, you will want to change your filter (s) once a month. If you live in a dust environment, have animals or a heavy foot traffic, you should change it even more often. It’s a regular part of your maintenance plan.
Tip #2: Wipe away the Dust from Around the Unit
You’d be surprised at how leaves, grass, dirt and even branches have been known to infiltrate your furnace and air conditioner. This can cause a bunch of costly problems that will eventually lead to a severe breakdown of your unit. Why pay that cost when you can catch it early? You should regularly spend time clearing out the vegetation in the unit and check it for debris regularly. In particular, after your area has experienced strong winds because of a storm.
Tip #3: Have a Maintenance Tune-up
You’d be surprised how HVAC services could actually lower your heating and cooling bill. When was the last time that you had your HVAC unit serviced? If it has been over a year, you could be at a much higher risk for problems occurring. Especially over the hot summer months, do you really want to have to sit in your home without AC? Heating and air repair can keep you from losing your air conditioning unit on those triple-digit days. In addition, a tune-up can catch problems before they spiral out of control, and it can even lower your energy bill. If you want to keep your AC unit in good shape, HVAC maintenance can help to lengthen its lifespan.
Tip #4: Keep Clearance Around the Unit
Believe it or not, maintenance also goes to the outside as well because it involves keeping the unit as free of obstruction as possible. If you have shrubs or trees near the outside of the unit, you should cut away the limbs. In general, safe clearance of your air conditioning unit will be around 12 inches. Keeping this clear can help to ensure the lifespan of your unit, and it keeps other problems from popping up.
Tip #5: Clean the Condensate Drain Line
Your HVAC unit will have what’s known as a condensate drain line. You want to keep this clean because when the line gets clogged, it can cause the system to start to freeze up and fail in its operation. Cleaning this line is one of the quick fixes that will take place, and to do this, you will detach the line and pour in a cup of white vinegar. This cleans away some of the sediment, mold and algae that can build up within your HVAC system. How often you will have to clean the drain line will largely depend on how well you maintain the rest of your unit. For example, how often do you replace the air filter, and what’s the overall efficiency of your air filter? Hopefully you are using filters rated Merv 8 or higher.
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