Making sure your air conditioner is well-maintained is key to keeping it in great shape for a long time. While it is always best to call an air conditioning professional to service your unit, there are a few things aircon owners like you can do to make sure that your air conditioner is functioning well and does not consume more energy than it should.
While more technical maintenance requires the knowledge and skill of an experienced HVAC professional, there are things you can do to keep your unit in tip-top shape. In this article from Sun City Air, we have rounded up some air conditioner maintenance tips you can use to take good care of your air conditioning unit at home.
Clean it
Cleaning your air con unit twice a year is something that should be done by an air conditioning expert, but you can do your part in maintaining the cleanliness of your unit—at least from the outside. Aside from making sure the vents of your aircon are clean all the time, you can also keep mold and algae from building up in your outdoor unit by cleaning it with bleach and water. As you do this, make sure that the unit is on a level surface and that you do not part it out, unless you are an HVAC expert yourself.
Inspect your wiring
Another thing you can do to ensure that your unit is doing well is by giving your wiring a regular inspection. This will not only help you identify issues but will also help you enhance the efficiency of your unit. By checking your condenser for damaged wires, you will easily know if your air conditioning unit is at risk of overheating. Once you identify problems with your wiring, call an HVAC expert right away and get it fixed.
Check ductwork for leaks
Did you know that a leaky ductwork is one of the most common causes of an underperforming air conditioner? When there are broken sections or loose joints in your ductwork, chances are treated air will escape—causing your unit to function inefficiently. When this happens, your aircon might struggle cooling your home and consume more energy than it should. Even if you are not an HVAC expert, you can remedy the damaged ductwork of your unit by patching the leaks you see with a foil tape. If that does not solve the problem, then there might still be leaks deeper in the system. That’s when you will need professional hands to do the job.
Change your air filter
Changing the air filter of your air conditioning unit is one of the easiest ways you can do to maintain your air conditioning unit. You can do this by simply looking for the filter slot of your air con, removing the old filter and inserting a new one. While this maintenance tip is easy to do, it is important that you refer to the instructions of the manufacturer of your unit when doing it to ensure that you get the right filter size for your unit.