An HVAC system is like a car. If you want to get the most performance out of it, and for it to last as long as possible, you need to perform the necessary maintenance and cleaning. A car that is poorly maintained will guzzle gas and have more break downs, leading to higher fuel and repair costs, while a poorly maintained HVAC system will similarly consume more energy and run less efficiency, driving up your utility bills. Thankfully, many of the maintenance tasks that need to be done for HVAC systems are fairly straightforward. Here are some air conditioner maintenance tips to consider for your St. Louis home.
Basic Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips: Cleaning and Clearing
A number of important air conditioner maintenance tips involve cleaning key areas and taking steps to achieve good air flow. These tips include:
Start with the air filters: The air moving through your HVAC system will carry tiny debris, and over time this will accumulate and clog up your filters. Check the recommendations of your HVAC manufacturer. If the filters are reusable, perform the necessary cleaning on a regular basis. If they are meant to be replaced, remove dirty filters and swap in fresh filters as dictated by the recommendations of the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that some circumstances may require you to clean or replace the filters sooner than usual. Perhaps you live in a hotter, dustier area, where the air conditioning is nearly always on. Or, perhaps you have several hairy pets in your home. This is why an important air conditioner maintenance tip is to regularly check your filters, so that you can eyeball whether cleaning or replacement is already required.
Check the HVAC coils: These coils allow the air conditioner to achieve the necessary evaporation and condensation for cooling. They are pristine when the unit is new, but with time, debris will build up, reducing efficiency. This is particularly true for those coils that are located outside the house. It is not uncommon for dead leaves, mown grass, and other bits to accumulate on or near the coils, preventing them from efficiently doing their job. So, this air conditioner maintenance tip is to clean these coils and the area around them. In fact, it is best to clear the space as much as possible around the condenser coils, removing plants, shrubs, and other debris, so that it’s easy for air to flow through and around them.
Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips: Other Fixes
Other air conditioner maintenance tips involve making minor fixes and adjustments as needed.
- Check the HVAC fins: Given the thinness, material, and shape of the air conditioning fins, these are easy to damage and deform over time. Thankfully, it is possible to force them back into their original shape with a special comb. Deformed fins result in inefficient airflow, so check and fix these on a regular basis.
- Check your HVAC drains: Excess moisture can build up in air conditioning units, so they are designed to allow this moisture to drain away easily. However, these drain points can get clogged up, causing too much humidity which can affect interior comfort. This is not hard to fix. For this air conditioner maintenance tip, all that is usually needed is to clear the drainage points by running a mixture a vinegar and hot water through the lines so that any debris that is clogging these can get cleared out of the way.
Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips: Bringing in Professionals
While many air conditioner maintenance tips are fairly straightforward, some fixes and maintenance steps can be more cumbersome or require specialized equipment. This is where it helps to be able to bring in a St. Louis HVAC company like Galmiche & Sons. You can rest assured that we will be able to give your system a thorough inspection, and we can perform any needed maintenance tasks. These include making sure that your system contains a sufficient amount of refrigerant, checking for any leaks in the system’s ducts or elsewhere, and making sure that all connections are tight, motors are oiled, and belts are not too worn out.
Learn More Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips
If you would like to learn more air conditioner maintenance tips tailored to your particular St. Louis HVAC system or home, get in touch with us by phone at 314-993-1110. Our staff would be happy to provide advice and schedule a maintenance appointment to make sure your heating & air conditioning units are working properly and efficiently.
