Just like your car, your air conditioner also needs regular check-ups from a professional technician to ensure that it is in good shape. During this preventative measure, your technician will check whether there are any underlying issues in the machine and address them before they get worse. With regular check-ups, you can avoid any inconvenience where your air conditioner breaks down when you need it the most -i.e. during the uncomfortable summer heat.
You want to get the most from your air conditioner, and you also want to be assured that it is going to continue running smoothly without any issues for a long time. Regular maintenance will not just keep preserving the well-being of your air conditioner, but it will also increase the life of the air condition unit. A normal air conditioner could last for around 15 years. But with regular maintenance, your air conditioner can operate at its most optimal quality for much longer. During the check-up, your ac will be thoroughly inspected and clean, to make sure that the engine could run safely, smoothly, and efficiently!
In case you haven’t scheduled maintenance for regular check-ups for your air conditioner, here are six reasons why you should immediately schedule it now.
1. Prevent Surprise Breakdown
During the regular maintenance, the technician will have a list of tasks that need to be done to assess the overall condition of the air conditioner equipment. From tuning, cleaning, and quality checking of the system. This check-up will help prevent any minor issues from accumulating and end up with the air conditioner needing major repairs, or worse having surprise breakdowns.
2. Improve Air Quality and Overall Home Comfort
Dust and debris can end up circulating through the home if your air conditioner is not well maintained and regularly clean. This could cause an allergy to flare up in people who have sensitivity toward this. Having a clean air conditioner will help to remove dust and debris and boost indoor air quality. Well maintained air conditioner will also do a better job to improve your overall home comfort.
3. Reduced Energy Bills
A poorly maintained air conditioner needs to work harder to produce the same amount of cold temperature. Dust and debris stuck in the air conditioner coils could also cause the system to work less efficiently and affect its temperature. Thus why it is important to have a regular checkup for the air conditioner. The technician will clean the critical parts, to make sure that the air conditioner does not need to use extra power to cool your house.
4. Increase Air Conditioner Lifespan
Cleaning, checking, and tuning will help to increase the lifespan of the air conditioner. Your technician could also be able to estimate how long your air conditioner could last. By having this information you could prepare yourself (and your money), to ensure you can change it when needed.
5. Keep All Parts of The Air Conditioner In Good Condition
To make sure all of the parts in the air conditioner are working well, they need to run effectively and efficiently. The condenser (air conditioner outdoor unit) has more than 30 moving parts and pieces. During the regular maintenance, the technician will remove any weeds, shrubs, or other debris restricting its airflow, to make sure every part is working together nicely to make your home cool.
Regular preventive maintenance will also make sure all equipment runs better, rather than everything unexpectedly breaking and you need to replace the equipment prematurely. The air conditioner technician will also make a minor adjustment such as tightening its electrical connections, changing its air filter, or lubricating any moving parts to make sure your air conditioner is running efficiently.
6. For Warranty Coverage
If you buy a new air conditioner, you might get warranty coverage from the manufacturers. To make sure you can use the warranty coverage, most manufacturers require proof of regular maintenance. If you do not have the information regarding this, it is not impossible if the manufacturers refuse your request of using the warranty coverage.
What is Included in Regular Air Conditioner Check-up?
When you finally decide to get your air conditioner having its regular checkup, there are a few things that you can expect the professional will do. A professional technician will have a detailed point checklist during the maintenance appointment. This checklist will be used as a guideline during the procedure. Here are a couple of things that your technician will do to your air conditioner during its regular check-up:
• AC Tune-up
AC tune-up or more known as inspection is the most important part of an air conditioner checkup. During the inspection, the technician can find whether there is any minor problem that needs to be fixed. Finding minor issues before they develop into the bigger problem is important to save you the trouble of having expensive repairs. During the tune-up, general operation assessment is also done. The technician will check whether the system in your air conditioner is still in normal condition -i.e it can begin, run, and shut off correctly without any problem.
• Thermostat Calibration
To ensure the thermostat of your air conditioner is working properly, the technician will calibrate the thermostat and make sure that it is properly installed. The thermostat should never be put near heat sources such as light bulbs or home appliances that produce heat.
• Clean or Replacing Filter
Changing the air conditioner filter is the first thing that comes across our mind when we think about what we can get from an air conditioner checkup. That’s true. Replacing or cleaning the filter is the most important task when it comes to making sure the efficiency of the air conditioner system. This is because once your air conditioner filter gets clogged by dirt and debris, the air from the air conditioner won’t flow through easily, thus reducing the system’s efficiency. Air filters need to be replaced regularly to maintain airflow and air quality. An important part of proper air conditioning maintenance involves selecting the right filter for your unit, such as an 8 merv filter.
• Check Electrical Connection
Checking the air conditioner electrical system is also part of the examination that the technician will do during the regular checkup. Issues that happened with the electrical system can cause the air conditioner to malfunction. The technician will check whether the connection is snug and clean, and make sure that the system is operating under the right electric control sequence. Checking and tightening electrical connections will help ensure that it operates safely and won’t catch potential electrical hazards.
• Measure The Refrigerant Levels
Your air conditioner refrigerant level should be in the correct amount. Too much or too little refrigerant in the air conditioner could cause problems for the unit. If after the inspection, the technician found that the amount of refrigerant is not suitable, they will proceed to test for leaks. If they find a problem afterward, the technician will make sure to repair all the leaks and finish it up by making sure your system is charged with the proper amount of refrigerant.
• Blower maintenance
During the checkup routine, technicians will also pay attention to the blower of the air conditioner. The blower assembly shall be checked and cleaned thoroughly. Adjusting and cleaning the blower component will help to maintain proper airflow from the air conditioner.
• Examination of The Condensate Drain
Condensate drain lines on your air conditioner will also be cleaned when you are doing your regular maintenance. By clearing the air conditioner condensate line, you can be assured that your unit can drain liquid condensate effectively.
Your air conditioner won’t be able to remove humidity properly if the condensation drain becomes blocked or obstructed. This will result in an excessive amount of moisture seeping into your house. Excessive moisture could also lead to the growth of mold and mildew. This can cause your wall, carpets, furniture, and other things to become stained or get discoloration. Condensate drain cleanings will help to get rid of any mold and bacteria around your drain line. The technician will also check whether the condensate drain is still in normal condition or rather in need of repairing.
• Outdoor Unit Inspection
The technician will need to make sure that all debris and dirt from around the air conditioner outdoor unit be cleaned. Not only that, but the technician will also assess the motor and blades on the fan. This is done to make sure that the blades are not damaged and could work properly.
• Lubricate Moving Parts
This will help to ensure that any mechanical components on your air conditioner are not damaged due to the friction between one component to the other. Lack of lubrication accelerates system parts to deteriorate more quickly, thus requiring your unit to have frequent repair or replacement.
• Evaporator and Condenser Coil Cleaning
The evaporator and condenser coils of your air conditioner accumulate dirt and debris throughout its usage. Particularly if the filters aren’t changed frequently, there will be a huge amount of dirt and debris. When the evaporator gets dirty, it will impact the airflow, losing its ability to absorb heat.
Because your condenser coils are located outside, it will make it easier to get it covered in dust and become dirty. You can prevent debris from getting caught in your condenser coils by keeping the area around it clear from leaves, and other things.
During the course of regular checkup, technicians will also inspect the coil fins to make sure whether the fins are bent and need to be combed back into their original position or not. It is important to keep the coils on the evaporator and the condenser cleaned. By doing this, it can help your unit operate more efficiently and increase its lifespan.
These are the services that you can expect when you schedule an air conditioner maintenance. But keep in mind that the cost of doing regular checkups does not include any cost of doing repairs. If you have any part in your air conditioner which needs to be repaired, then it will be considered as an additional service.
It is very acceptable for you to ask your technician about what kind of inspection or check-up they will do. It could give you an idea of what to expect, and also let them know whether you wish to add something more to be checked along the way. Once the technician is finished, they will go over their findings and report them back to you. They will also inform you if there are any repair recommendations or suggestions that need to be done to improve your air conditioner performance. It is also worth remembering, that even though you already do proper maintenance from time to time to your air conditioner, the system or parts might eventually wear out.
The point of doing regular checkups is to catch issues early, and prevent it leading to even bigger problems or costly repair. That’s the reason why proper air conditioner maintenance is crucial. Neglecting necessary maintenance could affect the steady decline of its performance, and also could increase its energy usage. Regular check-up is not going to take a long of your time. It will only take around 90 minutes (depending on the current state of your air conditioner). But setting aside time for the maintenance appointment will surely save you from future headaches or extra hassle!
Contact your local air conditioner maintenance to schedule a regular checkup. If you are in Singapore, you can contact Luce Aircon to have your air conditioner properly serviced by the experienced team of technicians. With a proven track and hundreds of rave comments from its customers, you can rest assured that your air conditioner is in good hands.
