In Florida, the last thing you want is to have your air conditioner malfunction or completely break down when the weather is really hot. While any appliance does occasionally require repair, there is one simple thing you can do to keep air conditioner repair needs to a minimum: maintenance.
What does AC maintenance involve? Can you do it yourself? What can happen if you don’t have it done? Let’s look at that right now.
Maintenance You Can Do Yourself
There is one air conditioner maintenance task that you can and should be doing yourself: changing the air filter. This should be done every month when you’re using your AC heavily, which is to say, much of the year in our area. If your AC is only being used occasionally, the filter should be changed every three months. A disposable filter can be replaced, or a reusable filter can be washed, dried, and put back in place.
Maintenance Done by Professionals
Once a year, you should have a qualified technician perform AC maintenance. They will clean and inspect all the components, test the electrical connections, check for refrigerant leaks, make sure the condensate pan and drainage line are clean and not allowing water to pool, and lubricate all the moving parts to decrease friction. These tasks should never be done by an amateur because this can involve handling chemical refrigerant, risks electrical shock, and can damage your AC unit if done improperly.
Problems Caused by Lack of Maintenance
Failure to have professional maintenance done annually is the biggest single cause of air conditioner problems. Here are some of the things you may encounter if you don’t get a professional tune-up done once a year.
- Decreased Efficiency: About 5% of an air conditioner’s efficiency is lost each year, but it can be restored with maintenance.
- Decreased Effectiveness: When an air conditioner is struggling to cope with wear and tear, friction, dust, and dirt, it won’t do as good a job keeping your house cool.
- Increased Utility Bills: With decreased efficiency and effectiveness, you’ll be asking your air conditioner to work more and work harder, which translates into more energy being consumed and higher costs when your bills arrive.
- Frequent Repairs: When minor issues aren’t caught and corrected early with maintenance, they turn into big problems requiring repairs. 85% of AC repairs can be avoided with annual maintenance.
- Shortened Lifespan: All that wear and tear takes a major toll, especially on the compressor. When that fails, it’s time to replace the entire unit. With annual maintenance, your air conditioner can last 10 or perhaps even 15 years. Without it, you may have to replace it in as little as 5-7 years.
- Voided Warranty: Most AC warranty agreements require that the unit be professionally maintained every year. Keeping your warranty valid means that the manufacturer may cover some or all of the cost when parts need to be replaced or when you do need AC repair in Melbourne, FL.
So with all that in mind, are you ready to schedule your air conditioner maintenance?
Contact Climate Experts Air, Plumbing & Electric today. We’re your indoor weathermen!
