With proper care, the air conditioning system in your Fredericksburg home is designed to offer many years of cooling comfort. While your cooling system needs regular professional air conditioner maintenance from a reputable Fredericksburg air conditioner company to ensure that it’s operating properly, there are some chores that you can undertake yourself. The following DIY guide from Robert B. Payne can improve your air conditioner’s performance and save you money on operating costs.
Indoor AC Maintenance Tasks
Most air conditioning systems are split systems that have both outdoor and indoor components. Typically, the outdoor unit houses the compressor and condenser and the system’s evaporator and blower are located indoors. Indoor tasks include:
- Clean or Replace the Air Filter. When it comes to efficiency and performance, changing the air filter regularly is job number one. All the conditioned air that you and your family breathes first passes through the filter. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you should replace or clean the filter once a month during the cooling season or more often as needed.
- Check the Condensate Pan and Drain. As your AC extracts heat from the air, moisture is drawn from the environment too. The condensate collects in a pan and then drains through a pipe to the outside of your home. Cracks in the pan or obstructions in the drain promotes the growth of mold and mildew and can lead to a costly AC repair. Checking the pan regularly for overflow helps you identify if there’s a clog in the drain as well.
- Clean Vents and Grilles. Because the ductwork in forced-air cooling systems both delivers and returns air, dust, dirt and debris can be sucked into the system’s vents, impairing performance and indoor air quality. Regularly vacuuming the vents helps keep dust at bay.
Outdoor Unit Chores
The heat drawn from indoor air is exhausted outdoors. To ensure proper air flow, keep the area around the outdoor unit free from loose leaves, pine needles and debris. Prune shrubs and trees back to provide at least a two-foot clearance from the condenser unit.
The experts at Robert B. Payne recommend regularly scheduled professional maintenance services as the most economical way to extend your cooling system’s service life and improve its performance. To learn more about air conditioner maintenance or to schedule service, call us today at 540-373-5876.