Spring Cleaning Should Include Your Air Conditioner

April 08, 2013

Sure, it’s on the early side, but with the summer we had last year, do you want to wait to get your air conditioner ready? It’s time to schedule your tune-up and safety check to ensure comfort all summer long. Your air conditioner made it through just fine last year, so why have it looked at this year?

• A clean, annually maintained air conditioner is much more likely to run efficiently. When your air conditioner is running well it uses less energy to cool your house, and lower energy use means bigger savings for you on your monthly utility bills.  Air conditioners at peak efficiency will use up to 30 percent less electricity and should last years longer. 
• Of the two reasons for scheduling your maintenance early, the more important reason is this: If there is any problem, small or large, you’ve got time to fix it before the real heat kicks in.  You don’t want to find out on a scorching June day that you need to call an emergency repairman. Trust us, the emergency repairman will be busy (virtually ensuring you’ll need to wait for an appointment) and significantly more expensive than a tune-up now.
• The other reason to schedule early maintenance may be just as important as the first reason for some of us.  By scheduling your maintenance early, you’re virtually guaranteed an appointment time that’s convenient for you.  If you wait, the technicians will be booked and you’re looking at a choice of waiting several weeks or squeezing an appointment into an inconvenient time.

  Before your technician arrives for your tune-up and safety check, you’ll need to do a few things to make the maintenance go smoothly.

• Take a walk outside and get a good look at your condensing unit.  Remove the cover, if you used one during the winter and cooler months.
• Clear any obstructions that you see around the condenser, such as newspapers, leaves, or debris that can accumulate. Don’t try to use a hose to loosen debris and dirt packed into the unit; there’s a good risk of shocking yourself and shorting out the electrical components. Wait for your technician to remove these.
• Make sure your air filter is clean and you’re changing it as often as you should. Dirty filters restrict airflow, reducing efficiency and can even cause the evaporator to ice up.  Disposable fiberglass filters should be checked monthly and replaced when dirty.  Electrostatic or electronic filters need to be washed regularly.
• Ensure your access panels are tightly screwed in place and that none of the screws have fallen out.
• Run your air conditioner for a few minutes sometime before the technician arrives; any strange noises you hear can be discussed with your technician during your visit.