We all know that we can pay our auto mechanics a little now for routine service, or pay them a lot later for a major repair. The same idea holds true for your air conditioner or heat pump. If you don't service your air conditioner or heat pump regularly, you'll find yourself uncomfortable and broke.
In this article the
term air conditioner
will apply to a heat pump or
a standard air conditioner.
Both benefit equally from
annual service tune-ups.
An air conditioner is a very
tough piece of equipment.
It is engineered to
withstand all sorts of abuse
and keep on running.
This is great in most
respects, but it can lead to
complacency about
maintenance. Like a
car, air conditioners need
regular tune-ups to run
properly. Without regular maintenance
an air conditioner looses
about 5% of it's original
efficiency for each year of
operation. This means that
the 12 SEER unit that you
bought just a few years ago
may be functioning like a 9
SEER unit today!
The good news is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance. Studies show that with regular tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of it's original efficiency. This means that the cost of an annual tune-up is recovered very quickly in savings on your monthly electric bill and reduced repair costs. A properly serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying your home.
Our San Diego air conditioning service and repair company offers special pricing for routine maintenance & service calls. In addition, our San Diego heating & ac repair contractor annual service programs insure that you will be reminded of the need to service your heating and air conditioning units at the beginning of the cooling and heating seasons.
The service check should
include cleaning the
condensing unit coils, checking the amp draw
of the compressor, oiling
the fan motors, checking
that belts are well
adjusted, and checking the
system operating pressures
and temperatures against the
manufacturers
specifications. One of the
most important items to
check is the coolant level
(commonly know as Freon) in
the air conditioner. A
system that is only 10% low
on coolant will cost about
20% more to operate! The
Air Conditioning Contractors
of America (ACCA)
recommends that coolant
levels be checked every
year.
If your unit is low on
coolant, and more must be
added, there are new laws
governing its use. Freon is
a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
that will damage the Earth's
protective ozone layer
if released into the
atmosphere. The laws
governing CFC's now do not
allow your air conditioner
contractor to add Freon to a
leaky system. They are first
required to find and fix the
leak in the system.
There are some things in
addition to yearly tune-ups
that you can do to help
ensure a high level of
comfort and proper system
operation. First, buy
good filters and change them
regularly. Next, keep
bushes and other materials
away from the outside unit
of your air conditioner.
Another tip is to avoid
closing supply air outlets
in your house. In
almost all cases, closing
supply outlets is harmful to
the operation of the overall
system.
All equipment, even the most
reliable, needs routine
maintenance.
Complicated equipment
like today's air
conditioners benefit in many
ways from annual service.
They recover much of their
lost efficiency, they are
less likely to suffer a
major break down, they have
a longer life span, they
increase your comfort, and
they operate for less money.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only. If you would like to inquire about one of our San Diego heating and air conditioning maintenance and repair programs, please contact our San Diego HVAC company today.