A central air conditioning system requires tender loving care in order to deliver optimal home comfort at the lowest possible energy cost. Proper care of a central A/C is mainly a matter of things you shouldn’t do. Following are five things to stop doing to your A/C.
Neglecting to Schedule Annual Maintenance
During a maintenance visit, a trusted HVAC technician will service the system, check connections, measure the refrigerant level, and more. When grime is covering the condenser or evaporator coils, for example, an A/C won’t efficiently remove heat from your home. It will have to work harder and longer, leading to more breakdowns and a shorter service life. Cleaning of components, such as evaporator coils, condenser coils, blower motors and blower wheels, require additional time and cost to perform these maintenance functions.
Not Changing the Air Filter
This is another case where neglect will force your A/C to work harder than necessary. When an air filter gets clogged with dust and debris, the blower has a harder time forcing air through the filtration media. It will consume more energy in cooling your home, plus some of that dirt may get on sensitive A/C components.
Making Your Air Conditioner Work Too Hard
You can lighten the load on an air conditioner by lowering the cooling load inside the house. There are many ways to do this, but the most effective involve air sealing the outer envelope of the house and having adequate insulation. Closing the blinds or curtains on sunny afternoons also helps.
Letting Ice Build Up on the Air Conditioner
If you have an undersized A/C or you’re trying to cool your home to a very low temperature on a hot day, ice can accumulate on the A/C. This can result in serious damage to the cooling system.
For more advice on things to stop doing to your A/C, contact Amarillo Air Conditioning. We provide superior service in the Amarillo area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Amarillo, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/Cs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Andriy Zholudyevt/Shutterstock”
