You generally don’t think much about your home’s air conditioner unless something goes wrong. By that moment, you’re trapped in a burning house, waiting for an AC repair technician to arrive and get your system back up and running. Long-term homeowners know something that can change this: frequent AC repair is well worth the expenditure.
If you’ve been putting off arranging your spring air conditioning tune-up, now is the time to do it. Like oil changes for your car, AC maintenance is not optional. A professional or AC companies Chapel Hill NC should look after your air conditioner.
This post will cover what you need to know about AC maintenance and the benefits of scheduling a tune-up.
How routine AC maintenance can help you
AC maintenance is more critical than you may imagine. Here are a few reasons why you should contact a local specialist and inspect your system this spring.
Avoid the need for repairs.
There’s a reason it’s called “preventative maintenance.” For example, an air conditioner tune-up can significantly lower your chances of an in-season breakdown. Most HVAC technicians believe proper AC maintenance might have prevented 80% of all studies.
Even if your spring tune-up prevents just one major problem during the life of your air conditioner, you’ve likely already exceeded the ROI criterion.
There’s no getting around it: AC repairs Companies are annoying and, due to their typical causes, tend to occur at inopportune times. Our staff is busiest on the warmest and most humid nights of the year for a reason!
An AC tune-up is more than just preventing problems with your system. It can also save you a lot of time and trouble. In our opinion, that alone is worth the price.
Improve your air conditioner’s performance.
Your air conditioner will not perform as effectively as it should if it is not serviced regularly. So, if you’re experiencing uneven cooling throughout your home—where one area feels like an icebox while another feels like an oven—it could be a sign that you’re past due for maintenance.
As parts wear out and dust accumulates inside the system, your air conditioner becomes less effective at cooling. Overall, this results in a less comfortable house for you and your family.
Increase your energy efficiency.
Have you noticed that your summer electricity costs have been rising like the heat outside, with no relief? Unfortunately, there is a link between postponing your AC tune-up and higher utility expenses.
Without annual maintenance, your air conditioner will gradually lose efficiency and effectiveness.
Even a minor decrease in efficiency can increase your energy bills. Please consider this: your air conditioner runs continually on the hottest and most humid days of the year. It’s running at 5-10% less efficiency every hour; you’re paying more money for less cooling.
Your AC tune-up may pay for itself!
Increase the lifespan of your system.
Yes, an AC tune-up is costly. But do you know what’s a lot more expensive? Purchasing a new air conditioner As a homeowner, your objective should be to get as many years out of your air conditioner as possible before replacing it.
Most air conditioners have a lifespan of 12 to 20 years. Why such a wide range? Part of that is undoubtedly due to maintenance. A system subjected to years of dust and dirt buildup must operate harder, resulting in increased wear and tear.
Furthermore, faulty parts put the entire air conditioner at risk of damage. Of course, an AC tune-up will not make your system last forever (nothing can! ), but it will improve its chances of lasting longer.
Returning to our earlier automobile comparison, how long do you think your car will last without a tune-up or oil change? Most likely, not many.
Nonetheless, many homeowners are astonished when their air conditioner dies after a decade, even though they never plan preventative maintenance. Tune-ups are important.
It is not only preventative maintenance that is essential. Every year your air conditioner is not serviced; it needs to work harder and harder to keep your home cool. This results in increased runtime, wear and tear, and energy consumption. This adds to your air conditioner’s adequate “mileage.”
Keep your warranty active.
You most likely were unaware that your new air conditioner comes with a manufacturer’s guarantee.
While the small print varies by system, most of these warranties cover important AC components, such as the compressor, for years after installation. This guard against the possibility of a faulty or malfunctioning part bricking the system.
As you might expect, there’s a catch: most of these manufacturers’ warranties require you to obtain a professional tune-up every year to keep the coverage alive. As a result, you may void your otherwise free warranty coverage if you skip a year.
From the manufacturer’s perspective, they only want to cover systems that have been adequately maintained by the homeowner (via a professional HVAC technician). Therefore, you should do everything you can to keep your warranty coverage—it might save you hundreds of dollars in the long run!
Maintain your comfort level.
So far, we’ve mainly discussed the money side of things. But your comfort is also essential. It’s why you have an air conditioner in the first place. Without regular maintenance, your air conditioner is more likely to work inconsistently, chill your home slowly, or even experience problems such as short cycling, which occurs when your air conditioner continuously switches itself off and cannot sustain the current temperature in your home.
For many of us, the feeling of cool air pouring out of the vents on a hot and humid summer night is priceless.
Given the low cost of an AC tune-up, getting a professional out to ensure your system is operating at peak efficiency is critical.
Improve the quality of your indoor air.
We’ve already addressed how dust accumulation inside your system can harm your comfort and energy expenses. Another factor to consider is the quality of your indoor air. Dust, debris, and pollutants can clog your air filter and air ducts and extend the spring allergy season into the summer.
Indoor air quality, or “IAQ,” is critical. Many scientists agree that indoor air quality is frequently far worse than outdoor air quality. Part of this is time: we spend far more time indoors than outdoors. Therefore problems with indoor air quality are felt more acutely.
If you have allergies or are sensitive to dust, an AC tune-up will help you breathe easier. Of course, you should think about hiring experts to help you improve your indoor air quality. Cleaning the air ducts is probably also a good idea.
When should you have your air conditioner serviced?
You should arrange regular AC maintenance in the early spring each year. However, there are various advantages to targeting the early spring months.
For starters, there’s a tremendous demand for AC tune-ups, so getting on the schedule early ensures you’ll have your system checked out before it becomes too hot.
Second, you never know when that first hot weekend will appear. So you want your air conditioner tuned up before you switch it on for the first time.
What exactly happens during AC maintenance?
Each HVAC business has a unique maintenance procedure. Similarly, not all AC tune-ups are made equal: while comparing companies, ask them what they’ll do during your checkup. While having a technician inspect your system is beneficial and preferable to doing nothing, it offers little to improve your design, comfort, or energy efficiency.
You are capable of doing better. Look for businesses that provide more extensive tune-ups. Checking refrigerant levels, analyzing performance, inspecting mechanical components (capacitors, motors, etc.), and lubricating moving parts are all part of a professional tune-up. Furthermore, the technician should examine the system as a whole.
If your technician never comes inside your home to inspect your thermostat, air ducts, or returns, you’re not getting the thorough tune-up you expected.