Many people wonder how often, or if at all, they should have their air conditioning unit serviced. If you want your air conditioning unit to last for as long as possible, you should be having it serviced once a year. Ideally, this would be in the springtime when you’re just starting to use it again, but any time of the year will do. All you have to do is call an HVAC contractor to schedule your air conditioning maintenance. Some people may be hesitant to spend the money on air conditioning maintenance when they don’t think there is a problem, but the truth is that it will wind up saving you a lot of money in the long run. Paying for regular services will be much cheaper than having to pay for major repairs, or even a whole new air conditioning unit. A professional HVAC contractor will be able to provide you with even more information regarding why you should schedule regular air conditioning maintenance.
Why air conditioning maintenance is necessary
There are many benefits that come with servicing your air conditioning unit once a year. You will have increased dependability in your AC following the service, and will worry far less about having a major problem arise. You will have much more faith in your air conditioner lasting for another year to keep your home nice and cool during the hot summer months. If any problems are found during the service, they can be fixed quickly before they become even bigger and more expensive problems. This is the number one way that air conditioning maintenance saves you money. Having to fix a small leak is a lot cheaper than having to replace a major part of your AC unit.
An air conditioner that is serviced regularly will be able to operate at maximum efficiency which will lower energy costs. Most people’s energy bills are already way higher than they want them to be, and lowering them could be as easy as having your AC serviced. These regular services will help to drastically reduce the chance of breakdowns, which usually happen at night or on weekends when rates are higher. It seems that an air conditioner is always failing when you need it the most. To prevent this, schedule your AC maintenance for in the spring before the high demand that arises in the summer months. All of the above benefits will all help to prolong the life-span of the equipment, preventing you from having to spend a lot of money on a brand new one.
What could happen without AC maintenance
One of the basic things the air conditioner does is collect dust and dirt from the air to keep it clean, and then provides fresh air back into the air. If the air conditioning unit is not serviced regularly, the dirt and dust will begin to build up and get deposited in the filters. Over time, this dirt and dust will begin to affect how well your AC is working because it makes the AC unit have to work even harder. You will find that you need to decrease the temperature of your air conditioner to get an equal amount of cooling that you were experiencing previously. This leads to your air conditioner consuming more energy, which will jack up your energy bills. Not only is the dirt and dust that has collected bad for your AC unit, it can also be bad for your health when it is released right back into the air. Those suffering from allergic diseases like Eczema or asthma will really feel the negative effects of an unserviced air conditioning unit. Even those who aren’t easily affected by dust could begin to notice some unwanted side effects as it collects in your home’s air.
Air conditioning units also have a lot of parts that need to keep moving efficiently to keep your home cool. Some of these parts are a fan or coils that need proper lubrication and cleaning in a timely manner to keep functioning as they should. Not only is this going to slowly deteriorate your AC, but it will also raise your energy bills as your AC will have to work to provide you with the cool temperature you desire. You don’t want to hear that you have to replace an expensive part just because it got worn down over time, and all you would have had to do to prevent it was add more lubricant.
Many people change their air filters themselves, however, you might find that you’re not getting the proper result with doing the work yourself. This is because sometimes there is a problem you are completely unaware of. You may think that you’re helping the efficiency of your air conditioning unit, but really it’s lack of refrigerant that’s causing the problem, and you need an HVAC contractor to discover it and properly fix it. Often times the low levels of refrigerant are due to a leak in the coolant system. An air conditioning maintenance service will be able to notice this problem and fix it before it becomes an annoyance to you. If the leak is allowed to continue, you could potentially have to face a very expensive problem. Having to replace parts of your air conditioning unit can be very costly, so it’s best to ensure that you’re taking care of the parts you already have on a regular basis.
Schedule AC maintenance with an HVAC contractor
An air conditioner that is underperforming can be extremely frustrating. Regular service will check to make sure that all parts are lubricated, that the refrigerant is at an optimum level, and that no issues arise that could compromise the quality of the air your AC is producing. You don’t want to wait until your air conditioner is blowing warm air or making a weird noise to call an HVAC contractor, call them ahead of time to schedule a service to prevent these things from happening.