subject: A Correctly Maintained Air Conditioning Unit Can Benefit Your Household [print this page] Most air-con units will run for a few years with no upkeep at all, but just like an automobile a regular service can prevent costly bills when a breakdown does happen.
Aircon units are terribly rugged pieces of kit. They're made to a quality and engineered to bear every kind of environmental conditions. They're often neglected for upkeep purposes but regular upkeep can save cash against high-priced failure of the complete system.
When an air con unit or heat pump isn't maintained, it will loose roughly five pc efficiency for each year it continues to operate. This has harsh effects on the load the unit can handle and will make the unit perform unexceptionally.
With correct upkeep potency can be regained and regular upkeep will maintain manufacturer's claims. Upkeep costs will simply be recovered by savings in electricity charges and a properly maintained unit will cool, heat and dehumidify more effectively.
As an end user you are expected to remove and clean the washable filters within the evaporator (indoor) unit regularly. Most units have an easy to open panel with the filter elements directly inside. The easiest way to clean them is to hold them under running water from a tap. Dry the filter before replacing. Try to clean the filters at least once a month or more often if the unit is operated for long periods or the indoor environment is dusty or dirty.
If the actual evaporator coil inside the indoor unit is starting to block with dust and debris then it will require cleaning. There are a wide variety of specialist chemical coil cleaners available but coil cleaning is best left to the professionals.
A high quality evaporator coil cleaner will also clean the drip tray and condense lines. This can also kill any bacteria that could be breeding in the unit and eliminate unpleasant odours the unit may generate while operating. If a condense pump is fitted to the unit this could be checked and checked and a number of water poured into the system to be sure it works.
The coils on the condenser (outdoor) unit should also be cleaned. Again there are professional acid based coil cleaners available which will remove all dust, debris and foreign objects from the coils. These cleaners are extremely powerful and should be used with caution. Use of these acid based cleaners should be left to a professional engineer.
It is worth checking the current that the compressor draws during operation. This can help identify problems before an expensive compressor failure occurs. The four way valve within the condenser can also be tested (for heat pump models) and the system operated in heating mode to make sure that the unit is working correctly.
On a professional unit both the liquid and gas line pressures can be measured by attaching a refrigerant gauge to the corresponding service ports on the condenser unit.
Some units only have a single service port on the gas line, but the suction pressure can still be measured and compared for peace of mind.
