With the West facing droughts, the South facing temperatures that approach the triple digits, and the Northeast facing harsh humidities, it’s only natural that the entire country is going to turn to their heating and air conditioning companies for refuge.
However, running heating and air units all day and night can cause them to break down. Although heating and air conditioning services are ready and waiting to fix any malfunctioning units, wouldn’t it be better if they never broke down in the first place?
Here are a few tips to make sure your AC unit doesn’t die on you and continues running at maximum efficiency.
Replace the Air Filter.
The most important way you can maintain your heating and air conditioning unit is to routinely replace or clean its air filters. Dirty filters can clog or block its airflow, which reduces its efficiency significantly. Replacing the dirty filter can also lower your heating and air conditioning unit’s energy consumption by as much as 15% in fact.
Clean the Evaporator.
Your unit’s evaporator is located in the plenum, directly above the furnace. Sometimes it’s accessible, sometimes it’s not. If it is, you should clean it about once a year. However, if the plenum is a sealed sheet metal box, don’t make any attempt to open it and clean the evaporator.
Comb the Coil Fins.
Heating and air conditioning services often sell a tool called the “fin comb” that you can use to comb the aluminum fins on the coils of the evaporator and the condenser, which bends them back into place. This stops the bent fins from continuing to block the airflow.
Following these tips will ensure that you only need to call your heating and air conditioning repair service in the event of a catastrophic failure, and not because you simply ran it too long. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. See more.
