Owning a house is rewarding. Maximize your enjoyment of the experience by taking great care of it to save time and money along the way. One of the best ways to protect your new investment is by protecting the most expensive appliances like your air conditioner. Luckily, there are a number of defined steps you can take to make your A/C unit last longer and work more efficiently. You can do some of the work yourself, then trust an HVAC contractor in Apache Junction when you need some expertise.
How to Effectively Maintain Your A/C Unit
Even if this is your first house in Arizona, you probably have some idea of how important air conditioning is to residents of Apache Junction and the surrounding areas. With summer temperatures that regularly exceed 100°F, you’ll want to be certain you can count on your A/C unit when you need it most. Preserve A/C unit efficiency and prevent costly repairs by taking doing three critical things.
1. Keep Your Outdoor A/C Unit Clean
The part of your air conditioner outside the home is also called the condenser unit. This part of your HVAC system is responsible for releasing heat outside of your home after that heat gets collected inside the home. Unfortunately, things can get dirty when they’re outside all of the time. If you live in Apache Junction, Superstition Springs, or Gilbert, your condenser unit is likely to get coated in dust from time to time.
When this equipment gets covered, it can no longer function the way it’s supposed to. Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to take care of this by yourself. Simply spray this part of your system off with a hose (as long as you aren’t blasting it hard enough to damage the equipment). While you’re cleaning your condenser unit, also make sure it’s clear of debris like branches and leaves.
2. Clean or Replace Air Filters
Changing your air filters is one of the easiest ways you can make your air conditioner last longer. If you have an air conditioner with reusable filters, just take them out and clean them off. Most A/C units rely on disposable air filters, so just put a new one in.
We normally recommend changing the air filter at least every three months. Homes with a lot of people or pets collect more dust, which means you’ll need to change the filter more often. If you suffer from allergies or other breathing problems, you may want to change your filters once a month.
3. A/C Unit Tune-Ups
This is one of the most overlooked ways to make your air conditioner last longer. Many people think they’re saving money by not paying for regular A/C maintenance, but the service will actually pay for itself in most cases. When you have an HVAC contractor come to your home on a regular basis, they’ll be able to identify small problems before they become major malfunctions. Your air conditioner needs tune-ups just like your car does, so stick to the service schedule to prolong the life of your HVAC system.
What Is Included with Regular A/C Maintenance?
When you get an A/C tune-up, a professional technician will run through a complete checklist to confirm that your unit is in good condition. The diagnostic check even covers components that are hard to see. Unless you have experience working with HVAC equipment, it’s best to let a professional inspect things like blowers, coils, refrigerant levels, and the condenser system.
Beyond inspecting all of the parts in your A/C unit, the technician conducting your tune-up will clean everything to enable good airflow. They’ll also lubricate parts and make minor adjustments as needed to help the different components last longer without wearing out. When a part isn’t working quite as it should, the technician will address the problem before it spreads.
As an added bonus, the HVAC contractor will also do some of the little things like check the filter and clean the condenser unit. This gives you that much less to worry about as far as the air conditioning maintenance you do yourself. You get some of your time back in addition to the other benefits of air conditioning maintenance.
Why Get Regular A/C Maintenance?
Avoid A/C Failure
The biggest benefit of A/C tune-ups here in the Maricopa and Pinal counties is that it makes it easier to count on your air conditioner when you need it. Our summers are blistering, and your house can get uncomfortable in a matter of hours if you let your air conditioner wear down until it fails completely. It’s best to avoid scrambling for a quick solution on one of the hottest days of the year.
Save Money on Costly Repairs
Protecting the operability of your HVAC equipment isn’t the only way regular maintenance can give you greater peace of mind. Besides a complete breakdown, the financial aspect is one of the scariest parts of owning and maintaining an A/C unit. Most problems will get more severe as time goes on, which means they’re more expensive to fix. You get some minor maintenance during each tune-up, plus the technician will be able to identify issues before they grow.
Improve A/C Unit Efficiency
Have you ever noticed that your car seems a little bit faster after the first tune-up in a while? The same kind of thing happens with air conditioners. When they’re properly maintained, they’re performing at their peak, which means they can keep your home more comfortable. You’ll experience better air quality and more consistent temperatures throughout the home.
As you increase your A/C unit efficiency, you decrease your utility spending. Your air conditioner doesn’t need as much energy to do its job when it’s operating as smoothly as possible. Even improving the efficiency by a few percentage points can make a big difference when you’re up against the type of weather we get here in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Make Your Air Conditioner Last Longer
This is the final way you save money with A/C tune-ups. Air conditioners are expensive pieces of equipment, and it’s not very practical to live in Arizona without one. In other words, your best bet is to make the one you have last as long as possible.
Your air conditioner will last longer if you get it tuned up regularly. Eventually, of course, you’ll still have to get a new one because nothing lasts forever. Still, you’ll have a better idea of when it’s time to replace your unit if you’ve had an air conditioning maintenance professional working on it consistently throughout its lifespan.
Get Air Conditioner Maintenance You Can Believe In with Superstition Cooling
Superstition Cooling is your local choice for air conditioning tune-ups. We keep Arizona residents cool and comfortable in Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, and all of the surrounding areas. Our HVAC technicians are highly trained, so they know exactly what it takes to maintain an A/C unit and make it last as long as possible. Contact us today to activate your air conditioning tune-up plan and keep your new home cool.
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