Now that the spring is here and summer is on its way, it’s time to inspect the air conditioner. If you want to prevent an air conditioning breakdown, then you need to ensure that the AC filters, coils and fins are properly serviced. If not, you risk unnecessary breakdowns and high utility costs.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, regularly replacing your AC filters is the easiest and most critical task for preventing an air conditioning breakdown. Dirty air filters prevent normal airflow and significantly reduce its efficiency. Moreover, a clogged air filter allows unfiltered air carrying dirt to enter the evaporator coil, which impacts the coils’s ability to absorb heat.
A dirty filter can cause your AC to overheat, forcing it to work harder than it should. In addition, it can also lead to contaminated indoor air quality.
Without proper maintenance of your air conditioner, it is only time when you will have an air conditioning breakdown. Here is what you should do:
Prevent an Air Conditioning Breakdown by Hiring a Professional
When your air conditioner needs more than your do-it-yourself skills can manage, do not hesitate to contact a professional service technician. An experienced and well-trained technician will locate and fix problems in your central air system.
The technician should:
- Assess levels of refrigerant
- With the aid of a leak detector, check for leaks
- Dispose of any refrigerant responsibly so that it does not harm the environment
- Inspect system for seal duct leakages
- Test the level airflow through the evaporator coil
- Verify the correct electric control sequence to ensure the heating and cooling system cannot operate at the same time
- Clean and tighten connections of electric terminals
- Check oil motors and belts for tightness and wear
- Ensure that the thermostat is operating properly.
Some filters are hard to access, easy to forget about, or both. Watch this short video on how to replace the filter.