Tips For Getting The Best Out Of Your Air Conditioning Unit

Keeping a regular maintenance routine for your air conditioning unit can be highly rewarding both in bringing energy costs down and preventing inconvenient breakdowns. Calling in an HVAC contractor to check the air ducts for leaks and replace clogged air filters helps your AC unit run efficiently, ensuring that you always have a comfy home to come to.

In this article, you will learn simple, yet crucial maintenance steps that you can take to help keep your air conditioning effective all year long and prevent frequent malfunctions.

Clean the outside unit

If you have a central air unit, you will typically have an outdoor condenser that sucks in air from the outside to cool your home. This outside unit is often vulnerable to clogging by leaves, dirt and grass clippings that could impede the movement of the outdoor fan.

To prevent decreasing system capacity and air flow, use a garden hose to wash off any debris in and around the fan and condenser. Do not use a pressure washer to do the cleaning, as the high water pressure could bend or damage the delicate fan blades, decreasing air flow into the unit.

You should also trim bushes around the outside unit to allow sufficient air to reach the condenser. After removing all the debris, replace any fan blades that are either bent or cracked and oil the motor bearings to ensure the fan moves smoothly.

Inspect the AC wiring

The wiring and other electrical components located in the access panel on your condensing unit needs to be inspected for any signs of damage that could cause the unit to overheat or even break down. Start by turning off the power to the AC at your home's main breaker panel before closely checking for charred-looking wires or melted insulation. If there is any such damage, call in your HVAC contractor to replace the damaged wiring and check the unit capacitors for malfunctions.

Next, check to ensure that all electrical connections in the AC access panel are intact and replace the contractor switch if you notice any pitting.

Replace the thermostat

A modern thermostat is essential to ensure that you maintain the desired temperature in your indoor spaces. If you have a mechanical type thermostat, consider having it replaced with a programmable one. This will allow you to preset the AC so that the unit doesn't run at full capacity when the house is unoccupied and automatically adjust the temperatures to a comfortable level when you and your family are home.

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