Service Your Air Conditioner For Summer
We all know that we can pay our auto mechanics a little now for routine
service, or pay them a lot later for a major repair. The same idea holds
true for your air conditioner or heat pump. If you don't service your air
conditioner or heat pump regularly, you'll find yourself uncomfortable and
broke.
In this article the term air conditioner will apply to a heat pump or a
standard air conditioner. Both benefit equally from annual service tune-ups.
An air conditioner is a very tough piece of equipment. It is engineered to
withstand all sorts of abuse and keep on running. This is great in most
respects, but it can lead to complacency about maintenance. Like a car, air
conditioners need regular tune-ups to run properly.
Without regular maintenance an
air conditioner
looses about 5% of it's original efficiency for each year of operation. This
means that the 12 SEER unit that you bought just a few years ago may be
functioning like a 9 SEER unit today! The good news is that you can recover
most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance. Studies show that
with regular tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of it's original
efficiency. This means that the cost of an annual tune-up is recovered very
quickly in savings on your monthly electric bill and reduced repair costs. A
properly serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying
your home.
Many local air conditioning firms offer special prices at this time of the
year. Some even offer annual service programs that insure that you will be
reminded of the need to service the unit at the beginning of the cooling and
heating seasons.
The service check should include cleaning the condensing unit coils,
checking the amp draw of the compressor, oiling the fan motors, checking
that belts are well adjusted, and checking the system operating pressures
and temperatures against the manufacturers specifications. One of the most
important items to check is the coolant level (commonly know as Freon) in
the air conditioner. A system that is only 10% low on coolant will cost
about 20% more to operate! The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA)
recommends that coolant levels be checked every year.
If your unit is low on coolant, and more must be added, there are new laws
governing its use. Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that will damage the
Earths protective ozone layer if released into the atmosphere. The laws
governing CFC's now do not allow your air conditioner contractor to add
Freon to a leaky system. They are first required to find and fix the leak in
the system. Don't ask them to violate this law as they may loose their
license if they are caught doing this.
There are some things in addition to yearly tune-ups that you can do to help
ensure a high level of comfort and proper system operation. First, buy good
filters and change them regularly. Next, keep bushes and other materials
away from the outside unit of your air conditioner. Another good idea is to
avoid closing supply air outlets in your house. In almost all cases, closing
supply outlets is harmful to the operation of the overall system.
All equipment, even the most reliable, needs routine maintenance.
Complicated equipment like today's air conditioners benefit in many ways
from annual service. They recover much of their lost efficiency, they are
less likely to suffer a major break down, they have a longer life span, they
increase your comfort, and they operate for less money
Written by
By Doug Garrett
City of Austin Green Builder Program
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