Monday, October 7, 2013

Routine Air Conditioning Maintenance Can Prevent Costly AC Repair

By Melissa Wilson


When the cold days of winter pass, residents know it is just a matter of weeks before they will need to turn on the cooling to keep their homes comfortable. Just as one needs regular maintenance for his or her car, these systems also need maintenance. Without such service one may need costly AC repair.

Operating a system with dirty coils prevents air flow and prevents proper cooling of the home. The dirty coils cause other components to work harder to maintain the desired temperatures, increasing cooling costs. The additional strain can eventually cause them to fail prematurely.

Systems use coolant that is often called by the name Freon for heat transfer. If levels of coolant in an AC unit are low, it is less efficient and uses more electricity. Eventually, the system may stop cooling. Sometimes the low levels of coolant causes compressors to freeze up resulting in damage that cannot be repaired.

Each time the AC system turns on the electrical contacts make a small arc, which can over time, cause the contacts to become pitted. Eventually, this little switch no longer makes proper contact, causing the air conditioning to fail to function as it should. In some cases, the pitting can cause the cooling system to no longer cool at all.

Air handlers force large air volumes through cooling coils and ducts into the home. Leaky ducts can cause several problems. They allow warm air from the attic or other space to enter the house and increase cooling load. They can also increase the dust in a home, causing coils to become blocked by particulate material.

One of the keys to keep systems working well is regular maintenance. Most owners prefer to pay for inexpensive ac repair of small problems discovered in regular maintenance instead of expensive ones from system failure. Annual maintenance can ensure efficient operation for many years in the future.




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