Extending the Life of Your Home Air Conditioner

Extending the Life of Your Home Air Conditioner

Eventually, it happens to most home owners. Perhaps you walk in your front door on a hot summer day to hit a wall of heat and humidity. A glance at the thermostat shows that your air conditioning should be keeping your house at a cool seventy-five degrees, but the inside temperature is instead reaching into the 80's. It's pretty easy to figure out that something is very wrong with your air conditioning unit. If you're lucky, a quick repair will have you up and running again. However, too often you are facing expensive repairs or replacement. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help keep your A/C unit healthy and running for years. But don't wait until the spring or summer, when things are heating up and it could be too little, too late. Take care of some maintenance now to get your air conditioner in ship-shape for the seasons to come.

One must-do activity of which many homeowners are unaware is to maintain the condensation drain pipes on the HVAC unit. Due to moisture, mold and algae can collect in this pipe, resulting in clogs. And clogs not only hurt your system, they can lead to water damage in your home. To help prevent this, one to two times a year pour into your condensation pipe a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

Probably the simplest way to maintain your air conditioner is to consistently change your air filters. When air filters get too dirty, they impede air flow which causes your HVAC unit to work harder than it should. Standard rule of thumb is to replace your air filter every 3 months, but every home is different. Because every house has its own variable amount of allergens, pets, dust, etc, you should ideally check your filter every month. If it appears dirty, replace it as soon as possible.

You should also maintain the outside unit of your air conditioner. Remove any debris that has collected on or around it, like leaves, glass clippings, etc. Trim any grass or shrubbery that has grown to close to the unit. Do not store anything near the unit that can restrict its air flow. These units are made for outdoor elements, so covering it with something is not only pointless, but possibly harmful.

Probably the best way to extend the life of your air conditioner is to use it less. One way is to use fans around your home in addition to or instead of the air conditioner. Also, your home will need less cooling if it experiences less heating. Add vents to your attic to increase air flow. Make certain exterior doors and windows are properly sealed against air infiltration when using the air conditioner. Even properly sealed windows, however, are a large source of heat transfer from the outside environment into the home. Either replace your windows with better, more efficient windows, or contact a residential window tinting San Antonio company to place a window tint on your windows. Window tints have been proven to reduce heat infiltration into the home. Luckily for home owners, window tinting is also eligible for home energy rebates.

Finally, there is no replacement for professional maintenance. At least every few years, hire an HVAC professional to inspect and clean your unit. This and the above steps are a small price to pay to prevent what could be a far more costly problem.

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