Servicing your AC unit routinely can help save you money and prevent you from having to deal with a faulty AC unit in the middle of summer. Even the most efficient air conditioners need to be serviced regularly so that they can maintain their longevity and functionality. So, how often should you service your AC unit? After every 6 months? Yearly? After two years?
Keep reading to learn just how often you need to service your AC unit.
Why Should You Service Your AC Regularly?
Routine servicing allows your AC unit to maintain about 95% of its original performance efficiency. This will allow you to get the most out of your AC unit. Below are more benefits of servicing your air conditioning system regularly.
Low Repair Costs
If you have been using an air conditioning system for a while, then you are aware of how the system could be operating normally one day and suddenly stop working the next day, prompting you to call an HVAC expert. Without any warning, you find yourself in need of costly urgent AC repairs.
However, such problems can be avoided by servicing your air conditioning unit regularly because you will be able to catch any underlying issues on time and fix them.
Extended Operational Life
Although there is a limit on the lifespan of every AC model, you can fully utilize your AC unit up until the end of its operational life by servicing it frequently. This is because the right amount of attention and care toward your AC unit will allow you to fix any malfunctioning or faulty parts that may stress the performance of other components of the AC system. To extend your AC’s performance, we recommend hiring an HVAC professional to service your AC system frequently.
Increased Energy Efficiency
When you service your air conditioning unit regularly, you help get rid of problems like filthy condenser coils and clogged air filters. These problems cause your AC unit to consume more energy, which results in high energy costs.
Additionally, an inefficient AC unit will leave a large carbon footprint, thereby polluting your environment. To avoid these problems, we recommend calling an HVAC expert to repair and service your air conditioning system.
Improved Air Quality
A damaged AC system will compromise the quality of the air within your home. If your AC system has a buildup of dust, debris, mold, and dirt, then everyone in the building is breathing in contaminated air full of allergens and toxins. Regularly servicing the AC unit allows it to purify the air and circulate clean better-quality air throughout the building.
Lower Levels of Humidity in the House
Another benefit of servicing your AC regularly is that the building experiences lower humidity levels. A faulty AC system increases the amount of humidity in the building, which creates a musty unpleasant smell throughout the building. Servicing the AC unit regularly will ensure that appropriate levels of humidity are maintained throughout the building.
How Regularly Should You Service Your AC Unit?
HVAC experts agree that you should service your AC unit at least twice a year, particularly at the end of both spring and fall. Maybe you are wondering why you should specifically service your air conditioning system during the specific mentioned times. It is better to service your AC unit before the cold winter weather or the hot summer air arrives.
Air conditioning systems tend to give out when placed under high-performance pressure. This is why you need to get the AC system checked and repaired before summer or winter to avoid dealing with an AC breakdown when the temperature is dangerously low or high. If there are high-risk family members in your home, such as an elderly person or an infant, then you have more reason to service your AC unit regularly to avoid exposing them to extreme temperatures.
What Forms of AC Maintenance Should You Perform?
Apart from servicing your AC system twice a year, there are several other maintenance tasks that you need to carry out to ensure your AC system performs efficiently. They include:
Thermostat Maintenance
Think of the thermostat as the brain of the entire heating and cooling system in your home. The thermostat signals to the AC unit when it should turn on or off. If the batteries of the thermostat are weak, it will cause the thermostat to become inefficient in its performance. Therefore, ensure that you change the batteries of the thermostat regularly, at least once a year.
Cleaning the Ductwork
Have you ever thought of cleaning the ductwork system in your residential or commercial building? You may have replaced your AC unit several times, but what about the air ducts? If you have never cleaned or replaced the ductwork system, then you could be dealing with years of built-up debris and dust in the air ducts. Get in touch with an HVAC company to clean or replace the ductwork in your home.
Replacing the Air Filters
Clogged air filters prevent the free distribution of airflow, which restricts the amount of air circulating in your home. If you do not replace the air filters regularly, pollutants such as dander, pollen, and dust build up within the air filters, causing the fan motor and coils to be less efficient. This may eventually cause the entire HVAC system to break down due to strained performance. You can change the air filters on your own or get in touch with an HVAC company for assistance.
Cleaning the Coils
Your AC system uses two types of coils called the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. The function of the condenser coil is to expel moisture and heat from your building. On the other hand, the evaporator coil functions by cooling the refrigerant and directing it back to the evaporator coil.
Therefore, when the coils are clogged or dirty, the AC unit becomes inefficient and may break down. We recommend cleaning the coils at least once a year to improve the performance of the AC system. Ensure that you hire an HVAC professional to clean the coils.
Should You Get a Regular HVAC Service Plan?
If you want the best way to save time and money while maintaining an efficient HVAC system, then we recommend getting an HVAC service plan. The HVAC service plan will ensure that all the major components of your HVAC system are inspected and serviced regularly, thereby increasing the durability of your AC system. Some of the common tasks that make up an HVAC service plan include:
- Air filter replacement
- Regular HVAC tune-up
- Thermostat repair
- Refrigerant and lubricant checks
- Ductwork cleaning
- Insulation
- Coil cleaning
- Air quality inspection
Get Started With Bel-Aire Heating & Cooling
If you are looking for a fast, reliable, and trustworthy company around Portage, Three Rivers, and Grand Rapids, MI to service your AC system, then Bel-Aire Heating & Cooling is the company to work with. Our HVAC experts will come to inspect your AC system and advise you about the best way forward. We also offer heating services, cooling services, and commercial services to our customers so that we can offer you 100 % satisfaction.
Call Bel-Aire Heating & Cooling today to speak to an HVAC expert about servicing your AC system.
