Air conditioners can benefit from routine maintenance just like your car can: giving a professional a chance to look it over and check for any potential problems. That’s very important in the summer, when your AC sees daily use and trouble can sneak up on you unexpectedly. If you haven’t scheduled a servicing session in the last 12 months or longer, now is a very good time to do so. It could benefit you in a number of ways.
What Is It?
Air conditioning maintenance is basically a look at the various aspects of the system to check for signs that trouble may be brewing. In addition, the technician will take several concrete steps to cut down on wear and tear:
- Filters will be checked and cleaned, or replaced if they’ve become clogged.
- Components will be dusted and moving parts will be lubricated.
- The drip pan will be cleaned and checked for clogs.
- Loose bolts will be tightened or replaced if necessary.
- Loose wires will be tightened back into place, or replaced if they become frayed.
- Refrigerant will be recharged and any leaks plugged up.
- The entire system will be run for 15 minutes or so, to make sure it’s running properly.
We usually recommend maintenance sessions in the spring before the system is needed, or in the fall when its use is winding down. Doing so now if you haven’t yet this year is still recommended, however, since it will allow you to take advantage of the benefits for the remainder of the summer.
The Benefits
Air conditioning maintenance provides three distinct benefits to the homeowner:
- Greater Efficiency. Correcting all of those little issues helps cut down on wear and tear in your air conditioner. That in turn lowers the risk of a breakdown, and helps the air conditioner do its job without spending quite so much energy.
- Catching Repairs Early. In the event that more repairs are needed, a maintenance session lets the technician spot the signs and schedule an appointment. That means you can get the issue addressed according to your timetable, instead of rushing around in the face of a sudden breakdown. It also means you’ll save money on repairs in most cases, since the problem won’t have as much time to spread.
- Longevity. When applied regular over time, the biggest potential benefits of maintenance become known. They help your AC last longer, making better use of the individual components and allowing it to continue running well past the expiration of its warranty. That can extend your system’s life by months or even years in some cases. Considering the costs of replacing an older air conditioner, it provides extremely good value for the money, as well as forestalling the day you’ll need to consider putting your old system out to pasture.
The friendly pros at Cooling Unlimited, Inc. can provide timely air conditioning maintenance throughout the Winchester, MA area. We can also set up a regular schedule to ensure annual maintenance sessions throughout the life of your system!
