Maintenance Checklist For Your Residential AC System

An AC system is essential to your home during the hot summer months. This home-cooling repertoire works by extracting heat from the home's indoor living environment so everyone can enjoy a nice cooling effect. 

Air conditioners are, however, not maintenance-free. Like other types of HVAC equipment, they require some care to keeping working reliably and efficiently. Below are some critical maintenance tips to keep your residential AC running at its peak throughout its lifespan.

Change Your AC Filter Regularly

You might already know that your home's AC has a filter that requires regular replacement. However, the importance of this can never be overstated. 

As its name suggests, the filter serves as a filtration system that traps airborne dirt and prevents it from reaching the internal components of your air conditioner. Over time, the filter gets clogged with dirt and will need to be replaced to keep the AC equipment working at is best.

Neglecting the need to change your AC filter can result in a variety of problems, such as:

  • Restricted airflow, which causes the unit to blow out warm air instead of cool.
  • Faulty compressor.
  • Faulty evaporator and condenser coils.
  • Poor indoor air quality.

Changing dirty filters is one of those AC maintenance tasks any homeowner can do properly, as long as they follow the instructions provided by their appliance manufacturer. Alternatively, you can always let an HVAC technician change your dirty AC filters when they come to perform preventative maintenance on the equipment.

Keep the Condenser Unit Clean and Unobstructed

While both of your AC's indoor (evaporator) and outdoor (condenser) units can become dirty, the outdoor unit tends to accumulate quite a lot of dirt due to its location. If left to accumulate too much dirt and debris, it can cause the entire home-cooling system to struggle to keep up with the cooling demands of your home. This may lead to increased energy consumption, as well as total AC failure. Clean your condenser unit on a regular basis to keep dirt and debris accumulation at a minimum. 

The drain channels located in the outdoor unit should also be kept clean and unobstructed to prevent excess humidity from being locked up inside and causing problems.

Proper AC maintenance is essential for maximizing the performance and lifespan of your home-cooling equipment. Feel free to get in touch with an HVAC technician near you to schedule a routine AC service that will keep your unit in top shape.


Share