Filter Importance

One of the easiest air conditioning maintenance steps is to be sure that you use a high quality air filter. Air filter replacement is the most commonly needed air conditioning maintenance service.

Replacing the air filter monthly protects the mechanical components of your air conditioning system from dirty buildup. A dirty air filter also can impede airflow and force your air conditioning system to work harder and less efficiently to cool your home. A poorly maintained AC System may fail due to abnormal wear and tear. Dirt and dust buildup may cause you to need an air conditioner repair visit or may lead to expensive parts failures or AC Unit replacement. Our air conditioning specialists determine the condition of your AC System and thoroughly maintain it to help preserve comfort to your home.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Maintenance Checklist

Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. Contractors get busy once summer and winter come, so it's best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall.

A typical maintenance check-up should include the following.

• Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
• Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
• Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
• Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
• Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.

Cooling Specific

• Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
• Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
• Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent.

Heating Specific

• Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.

Actions To Do Yourself

• Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.

Source: Energy Star

Air Handlers

Air handlers use smart technology to efficiently circulate the air, varying its speed based on your home's heating and cooling requirements while saving electricity by working only when needed. This means your unit turns on and off (as you may have heard on a quiet evening) and works only when needed. It knows when it is needed because of specialized sensors inside the machine.

Certain brands are more popular, or more highly recommended than others partly because of their life span or cost, but predominantly because of those sensors functioning optimally to keep your home the proper temperature and doing so as efficiently as possible.