3 Maintenance Tips for Air Conditioning Units

With summer finally beginning to hit, more and more homes have begun to enlist air conditioning services. Air conditioning units have become nearly essential for a comfortable home life, with more than two-thirds of households in the United States owning them. As much as we love the convenience of AC, however, it can be expensive: air-conditioning sets U.S. homeowners back over $11 billion each year. Yet with regular maintenance, it is possible to cut down on expensive air conditioning repairs or replacements.

• If you have an exterior condenser unit, clean out the leaves and dirt from in and around it. The wind tends to pick up a lot of leaves and twigs and drop them off on your condenser. Nature also likes to try to retake territory, so be sure to cut down any weeds or vines that are growing near or on your unit.
• Clean the filter regularly. During the spring and summer — “cooling season” — check on it every month or two. Some filters are easy and only need to be cleaned, and cleaning can be as simple as running it under some water and wiping it down. Others, however, are not able to be cleaned. They need to be replaced completely. This might seem like it would end up costing a lot, but an improperly maintained filter increases energy usage and may cause several respiratory issues.
• Don’t forget the coils. Even with a clean filter, air conditioner coils can still collect a lot of dust and dirt. Luckily, these don’t need to be checked as often — only about once a year or so. If your condenser unit is outside, the coils will most likely need to be cleaned more often, since they’re more open to the elements.

This is only a brief guideline, not an all-inclusive manual. Each unit is exposed to different environments and is used differently — some are kept running nonstop while others are used only on the hottest days. If you’re unsure how to properly maintain your unit under your circumstances, contact general contractors for air conditioning services.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for ways to minimize energy usage, consider ductless mini split systems. Duct losses can account for over 30% of energy consumption for both heating and cooling, which is avoided with ductless systems. When you contact air conditioning services, be sure to ask if this option might be right for you.