Most specialists recommend you give your air conditioning equipment a round of maintenance at least once every year. This will ensure you keep cool air flowing around your home and do not need to spend a lot on costly repairs later. Though, what steps do you need to undertake to do this right and not miss any common issues?
Below, we list several of the most important things you have to do to check your air conditioning equipment in Montgomery, TX. As you read through, think about where each item is so you can make a plan to run through each time you need to perform maintenance in the future.
Cleaning the Air Filters
Before performing any of these steps, you need to first turn off the power to your AC unit. This will give you unimpeded access to the whole system. You can then locate the air filter in your AC, which you can usually find behind a panel in the unit.
Remove this, and see how dirty it is. If you think it needs work, the first step you can take is to use a vacuum cleaner to remove the most excessive dust from it. This will clean off the most obvious dusty sections, although you might need to go an extra step.
Check the air filter’s instruction manual to see if you can wash it. If you can, rinse it in warm water using soap if necessary. Make sure to use mild and unscented soap so you do not impact the effectiveness of the filter, and avoid other chemicals altogether.
After the filter has dried, you can then place it back into the AC and put back any panel keeping it in place. You should then check back on the filter once every one or two months to keep it in the best condition.
Clearing Debris From Outside
Depending on where your AC unit is, there is always a chance that debris from the outside could start to clog up its outside line. As such, an important part of air conditioner maintenance is checking the whole thing from outdoors.
Look for leaves, branches, or other items that might have piled up against the AC if it is on the floor. Even if it is higher up, though, leaves can still block the airflow for the unit, so remove them if necessary.
If you have a cleaning comb, you can use it on the fins of the AC unit. This gets rid of any smaller items that might have become lodged in the body of the device.
You should also remember to give the area of the AC a cursory glance every time you go past it, especially during fall or snowy seasons in Texas. If you notice blockages, clean them as soon as possible. If you do not, it could cause major problems in a very short space of time.
Ensuring the Condenser Line is Unblocked
People are running AC units a lot more in Texas these days, leading to more simple blockages over time. If water starts to pool around the AC unit, or makes dripping noises, there is every chance the condenser has become clogged. When this occurs, you have several options available to you.
First of all, you could remove the condenser line and blow through it. Though, this is not always possible. You can alternatively use a vacuum cleaner to pull out any blockage. Make sure that if you do use such a device you create a tight seal or else it will not produce the air pressure to pull anything out.
You should then pour water through the condenser line to clean out anything else that might be stuck in there. This should leave you with a pristine pipe that will allow water to pass through moving forward.
Inspecting the Digital Thermostat
The thermostat for an AC system is a delicate piece of electronics. As such, do not immerse it in water or perform huge amounts of maintenance on it. The only cleaning you should perform is with a soft, dry cloth to ensure there is no buildup of dust on the device.
When you look at the thermostat, make sure it can do something as simple as turning it on and off. Check the display and ensure you can read it, and that it does not flicker. If it seems to not display data as expected, or flickers, this means there might be a problem you will need someone to come and look at.
You should then make sure it tracks accurate temperature around the home. Place a thermometer next to each location where a sensor is and record the temperature, then compare this to what the thermostat says. If this is not accurate, you may need to recalibrate the thermostat to compensate.
Inspecting an HVAC System
If you want to inspect a full HVAC system, you may need to do a lot more work than looking at a single AC unit.
Checking HVACs usually involves:
- Inspecting the ducts that run through a building
- Checking automated systems work when they should
- Ensuring moving parts have lubrication
- Looking at any outside unit the HVAC might have
- Making sure a furnace is both functional and safe
- Calibrating a thermostat in many different parts of a building
- Searching grilles and vents for blockages or wear and tear
For these reasons, you might want to look into hiring a qualified technician. They have the experience and technical knowledge to ensure your HVAC system runs at peak efficiency. They also know how to document such an inspection to ensure you have all the paperwork you might need for regular maintenance.
Maintaining Your Air Conditioning Equipment
With the above maintenance steps, you should be able to keep your air conditioning equipment in the best condition. Still, there are things you might not feel comfortable doing yourself, or you might need a bit of help to ensure you do the job right. We can help you with that.
Our technicians can work with you to ensure every part of your AC and heating systems is working the way it should. So, if you are in the area of Conroe, TX, and need help, give us a call and we can talk to you about what the Luxury Air team can offer you today.
