When the summer heat is at its peak, the last thing you want is air conditioning unit to break down. Scheduled maintenance checks by a professional are imperative for the life span and working condition of your unit, but so is looking after the unit yourself. The cost involved in purchasing an AC unit for your home is an investment, and it is wise to look after your investment in any way that you can.
The little changes to increase the lifespan of your AC unit
There are a few smaller changes that you can apply to your home which will assist you in caring adequately for your AC unit.
Sealing in the cold
When your air conditioner blows cold air into your home the thermostat will regulate how much cold air will blow into your home. The more cold air, the harder your air conditioning unit is working. With this being said, if your windows are open, or if the closed windows have seals that are damaged and allow air to leak out, your air conditioner is working overtime. Simply by repairing your window seals and by closing all exits, you have given back to the lifespan of your AC unit.
Freestanding units
Freestanding AC units are becoming more popular and used for those who live in apartments, smaller open plan studio flats or those who simply want a more inexpensive way of cooling a small space such as a home office. These freestanding units also need cleaning and there are three simple steps to keeping them clean:
1. Using a butter knife or flat blunt object, remove the front grill. Take a bucket with lukewarm soapy water and wash both the grill and the mesh found behind it. This will remove the excess dust and keep your freestanding unit in better condition for a longer time.
2. Visit your local hardware store and purchase a fin comb, they are not expensive at all. A fin comb will enable you to straighten any bent coil fins in your freestanding unit.
3. Underneath the filter are evaporator coils, and at the back of the unit you can find the condenser coils. Using a bottle brush or brush attachment clean the coils thoroughly. This removes any excess dust, dirt, and debris.
4. Keeping the unit clean on the outside as well when you’re doing a spring clean is important. This helps to not only look better but removes dust that could end up in the filter.
Larger DIY clean up
Your bigger units require a little more attention and work. The steps themselves are not that difficult at all and in most cases will only take up an hour of your time if not a little less. Always remember to turn off the power at the mains before attempting a cleaning session of your AC unit.
Air Filters
Cleaning the air filter is one of the most necessary cleanups regarding the lifespan and energy consumption of your AC unit. The air filters need to be cleaned in the very least, once a month. The dustier the air filter becomes, the harder your air conditioner has to work, and this not only damages and diminishes the air conditioners condition but also shoots your energy consumption bill through the roof
The fan
Removing the fan and spraying it down with a hose should only happen on an extremely hot day. The reason for this is so that you can test your air conditioning unit and see that it is working perfectly after you have disassembled and reassembled the unit again.
Leaves and Debris
Make sure that you have cleaned the area outside around your air conditioning unit. Remove leaves and excess dirt as much as you can. Check the pipes that no heavy rocks are lying on them and make sure that there is no rust present.
When to hire a professional
Let’s say that you have fiddled with your air conditioning unit and when you put it back on, everything was nice and clean but your unit was not working as it did before, or at all. In this case do not go back and try to fix what you have done, instead call a professional air conditioning company such as ActronAir air conditioning and let them send out someone who knows the ins and out of your unit. If you go back and fiddle you may cause more damage and this could lead to spending extra money to fix your AC unit. The above-listed tips are simple enough and will not take up too much time, but they will save you money, and spare your air conditioning unit from needing a replacement.
