If you’ve been following our blog for a while, then you know we talk about maintenance a lot. This is because preventive maintenance has a number of benefits for your air conditioner. It helps it operate as efficiently and effectively as possible for as long as possible.
It helps reduce repair needs by as much as 85% and helps the system retain up to 95% of its original efficiency rating. But you might be wondering, how? What actually happens during maintenance that allows it to be so beneficial for your air conditioner? Read on to find out.
The Power of Professional Maintenance
For the most part, it’s important that maintenance tasks always be completed by trained and experienced professionals. However, there is at least one task that you can and should do on your own, and that’s changing or cleaning the air filter. Our professionals will be happy to show you how if you don’t already know!
Changing a blocked air filter improves airflow and air conditioning performance overall so that your air conditioner doesn’t have to run as long or essentially “work as hard” to do its job. With that out of the way, your HVAC technicians can tackle the rest of your AC maintenance, which includes:
- Checking the condenser and evaporator coils to make sure that they are unobstructed, clean, and able to both absorb and release heat.
- Checking on the refrigerant levels to make sure they didn’t drop. A loss in refrigerant charge means that a leak has occurred somewhere and must be located and repaired.
- Checking on all the electrical connections and tightening them when necessary.
- Cleaning the condensate drain and pan so that the moisture from the evaporator coils doesn’t overflow them.
- Cleaning and lubricating the fan and compressor motors to prevent mechanical stress that can lead to these motors burning out.
- Checking that the thermostat is reading the temperature as it should, and recalibrating the thermostat if it’s not functioning right.
- Replacing or cleaning the air filter as needed. While this is a task you can and should do on your own, we still check this for you just in case.
AC maintenance is vital to the functionality and longevity of your air conditioning system. Without getting this service on a regular basis, you can find yourself facing a number of issues with your air conditioner, including:
- Inefficient operation: every year that your air conditioner goes without professional maintenance, the efficiency level will drop by about 5%. With maintenance, however, it can retain up to 95% of its original efficiency rating.
- More repair needs: It’s estimated that about 85% of the repairs that an air conditioner might ever need in its lifetime can be prevented through routine maintenance. Cutting down on unnecessary repair needs means saving money and enjoying more consistent cooling performance.
- Shortened lifespan: A well-maintained air conditioner is designed to last 10-15 years. Without regular maintenance, however, that lifespan can be cut in half.
When you need professional Blue Ridge, VA air conditioning service, look no further than W.C. Butler Heating and Air Conditioning. Contact us today!