The WoW Style

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, three-quarters of homes in the country have air conditioners which use about 6 percent of the total energy produced in the United States. Air conditioners make everyday living a lot more comfortable until your unit stops working. Just hope that your AC does not stop working in the summer where the heat sometimes becomes unbearable.

Regular maintenance should not be neglected or put off. This is especially true with air conditioners. You may find your unit structurally okay but you’ll never know if its internal calibrations that are sensitive to external conditions are still in good form.

Inadequate maintenance is one of the top reasons your air conditioner may fail. In fact, if you neglect the necessary maintenance, you can be sure of a steady decline in your AC’s performance while spending more on energy usage. On the other hand, if you keep your air conditioner well maintained, you’ll reap several benefits:

There are significant benefits when you follow the recommended air conditioning preventive maintenance checklist of the system’s manufacturer. These benefits include:

• Warranty – Most air conditioning units are covered by a warranty under certain terms. In most cases, you can only take advantage of the warranty if you also do the necessary maintenance.
• Lower repair bills – The cost of air conditioner repair can be quite expensive if you neglect your unit until the time it breaks down and stops working. Your bills will be minimal if you follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance procedure.
• Prevents inconveniences – Unless you have a back-up cooling system, the temperature inside your home can get nasty without a working air conditioner. You can avoid this inconvenience if your AC is in tip-top shape.
• Lower electricity bills – A well-maintained air conditioner is also an efficient one. This translates to lower energy usage and lowers electricity bills. With lower energy usage, you are also helping the environment by keeping your carbon footprint to a minimum.
• Longer life – Just like with most appliances, maintaining your air conditioner allows you to reach or even extend its service life. This, in turn, lets you save on early replacement costs.
• Safer to operate – Faulty units may cause fire hazards or worse, electrocution. Periodic checks by a professional keep the structural and electrical integrity of your air conditioner.
• Peace of mind – knowing that your air conditioner is in good shape can give you peace of mind that no emergency breakdown or repairs will catch you off guard. Now, that’s one less thing to worry about.

With all the benefits of regular AC maintenance, you can say that you have so much to gain and nothing to lose if you do it. You can let the air conditioning professionals such as the American Home Water and Air do the complex regular maintenance job for you.

Visit American Home Water and Air at:

American Home Water & Air
22047 N Black Canyon Hwy
Phoenix, AZ 85027
United States
(602) 993-0083

But on a regular basis, you can also do these simple air conditioner maintenance checklist:

1. Clean your air filter once per month.

On top of the list of things to do as part of the air conditioner maintenance checklist is to clean your filter once a month. It is one of the easiest and most beneficial maintenance jobs you can do for your air conditioner.

The air filter works to stop the particles and contaminants such as dust, dirt, and dander from infiltrating and circulating through your cooling system. It will not be as efficient as it should be if it is dirty and bogged down with excess particulate matter.

You can check this page for more information on how to clean your air filter.

2. Clean the coils regularly.

Air conditioning coils are also an important component that needs regular cleaning to ensure optimum cooling. If the coils are covered with dirt, they reduce the amount of heat they can absorb. As a result, your air conditioner will work harder to keep the temperature at a certain level. To avoid putting unnecessary strain on your AC, keep the coils clean.

This page illustrates the steps on how to clean your AC coils.

3. Check the fins.

All AC units have a condenser and an evaporator, both of which have fins. Over continued use, these fins will bend, causing insufficient airflow. To keep your air conditioner working properly, make sure that the fins aren’t bent. If they are, you can straighten them using a fin comb.

4. Check if the condensate drain is properly working

Also part of the ac preventive maintenance is to ensure that your condensate drain is working. This part is integral in allowing the condensation to drain outdoors. If it is clogged, it will impede drainage which ultimately affects the performance of the AC.

5. Check the refrigerant level.

Making sure that the refrigerant level is enough is also an important part of the AC checklist that you need to do every now and then. Too little refrigerant will make the compressor work harder, reducing the efficiency of the unit as well as affecting its longevity.

6. Inspect all connections and wiring.

Another important step in the AC maintenance checklist has to do with checking all connections and wiring to ensure that they are free from wear and damage. Faulty connections and wiring can be a fire hazard, so make sure that they are still in good condition.

The above air conditioner preventive maintenance steps are very simple, yet they can give you numerous benefits. Regular maintenance will not cost you much but they can save you the headache and cost of early replacement.

These maintenance procedures we listed above may take from about an hour to several hours to finish. If you don’t have time to do them, it’s a good idea to schedule a professional maintenance appointment twice a year. That way, you can keep your AC in good shape and even extend its life.