Do I Need To Seek Regular Air Conditioning Service? | Arlington, TX
Although modern heating and air conditioning systems are highly durable and dependable, the air conditioner is not an appliance you can just install and forget. Indeed, for your air conditioner to continue running optimally and cooling your house expected, it needs to be serviced on a regular basis. For instance, its air filters have to be cleaned or replaced after some time, and failure to clean or replace them on time could severely compromise the performance of your air conditioner. Similarly, the moving parts may need to be lubricated regularly to reduce friction and minimize the rate of wear and tear. On the other hand, working with a professional air conditioning service to get your air conditioner serviced on a regular basis will keep your HVAC equipment in good shape and consequently keep the comfort of your house at its maximum level. Getting your air conditioner serviced on a regular basis might also improve its efficiency and consequently save you some money. In this article, we explain what regular air conditioning service entails and why it is important to ensure that you don’t skip routine air conditioner maintenance.
What Does Regular AC Service Entail?
Your air conditioner has many essential parts that need to be in good shape for it to work as expected. Therefore, regular air conditioning service will involve checking multiple areas and addressing several problems. Some of the things you can expect your heating and air conditioning professional to do during routine AC maintenance include;
Cleaning or Changing the Air Filters
The air filters are an important part of your air conditioner. They remove particulate impurities from your indoor air to ensure that the air you and your family are breathing is clean. This is important because filtration reduces your family’s exposure to air pollutants that might trigger or worsen the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory issues. However, with time, these filters collect dust that might limit the circulation of air. As such, the filters need to be cleaned regularly to keep the air flowing efficiently.
Checking and Cleaning the Coils
Your air conditioner has two main coils. The evaporator coil is found in the indoor unit, while the condenser coil is found in the outdoor unit. The evaporator coil helps with absorbing the heat from your indoor air, while the condenser coil releases the heat into the atmosphere. If the coils are covered with dust or dirt, these heat transfer processes will be interfered with. Therefore, your air conditioner might struggle to keep your Arlington, TX home cool. When you call a professional air conditioning service to maintain your air conditioning equipment, they will assess the condition of the coils and ensure that they are cleaned properly.
Checking the Condensate Drainage System
In addition to cooling your Arlington, TX home, your air conditioner helps with getting rid of excess humidity from your Arlington, TX home. As such, it has a condensate drain line meant to drain out the water that is collected in the process of removing the humidity. With time, the drain line might get clogged and cause the water to back up towards your air conditioner. Unfortunately, the water might end up damaging your air conditioning equipment. To preempt such an eventuality, your professional air condoning services provider will examine the drain lines during routine maintenance and ensure they are cleaned properly.
Checking the Thermostat
The thermostat is an important part of your HVAC system. Its job is to ensure that your air conditioner only runs when needed. When temperatures are above your desired range, the thermostat automatically switches on your air conditioner. The thermostat will then switch off your air conditioner when the desired temperature range has been achieved. Therefore, if the thermostat is broken, your air conditioner will not operate as expected. For instance, it might fail to achieve the comfort you want. Besides, a broken thermostat could cause your electricity bills to increase exponentially.
Checking the Refrigerant Levels
The refrigerant is a chemical that absorbs heat from your indoor air. It is found inside the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. Unless it is leaking, the refrigerant doesn’t need to be refilled. But if it is leaking, it will gradually cause the efficiency and efficacy of your air conditioner to decline. Besides, the leaking refrigerant might expose your family to the risk of refrigerant poisoning, which is associated with symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizure, fainting, and even death. Therefore, during routine air conditioning service, your professional HVAC expert will check the level of your air conditioner’s refrigerant. If the refringent is below the required level, the professionals will look for the leaks and ensure they are properly sealed before the refrigerant can be refilled.
What Are the Benefits of Regular Air Conditioning Service?
The Importance of working with a professional air conditioning services provider to ensure that your air conditioner is maintained on a regular basis cannot be overstated. Some of the benefits you can expect by seeking routine air conditioning service include:
Protect the Air Conditioning Equipment
Your air conditioner was not designed to last forever. On average, these appliances can serve for 10 to 15 years. Therefore, a time will come when you will need to get your air conditioner replaced. However, it is worth noting that the longevity of your air conditioner will largely depend on how well it is maintained. If you neglect your air conditioner and fail to get it serviced by a professional air conditioning services provider, you might be forced to replace it sooner than the manufacturer projected. This is because it will be operating below its optimal level, meaning that its essential components will wear out more rapidly than expected. On the other hand, by working with a professional air conditioning service to maintain your air conditioning equipment, you can keep your AC in good shape and add more years to its lifespan.
Keep Your Family Safe
A neglected air conditioning system can pose a serious safety hazard in your house. For instance, if your dirty air filters are not cleaned or replaced on time, the quality of your indoor air will be compromised, and your family will be exposed to the risk of suffering some respiratory issues. Besides, if the refrigerant is leaking, failure to detect the leak and fix it on time will expose your family to the risk of refrigerant poisoning. On the other hand, by working with a professional HVAC contractor to ensure that your air conditioner is serviced on time, you can prevent some air conditioning problems that might put your family in danger or ensure they are fixed before they can hurt anyone.
Improve Your Arlington, TX Home’s Comfort
Your air conditioner helps with keeping your indoor temperatures at a comfortable level. It also improves your Arlington, TX home’s comfort by getting rid of the excess humidity. However, the efficacy of your air conditioning equipment largely depends on how well it is maintained. If you neglect it and fail to work with a professional air conditioning service to keep it in good shape, its efficacy will decline significantly. For instance, if the air filters are not replaced or cleaned on time, the air circulation will be reduced, and your air conditioner will struggle to achieve your desired temperature level. Similarly, if the condensate drain line is not cleaned on a regular basis, your air conditioner might fail to get rid of the excess humidity in your indoor air. Therefore, your indoor air might remain uncomfortably sticky no matter how hard the air conditioner works. On the other hand, by ensuring that your air conditioner is serviced on a regular basis, you can keep it performing optimally and consequently keep your Arlington, TX home’s comfort at its maximum level.
Avoid Frequent Air Conditioning Breakdowns
Like any other electrical appliance, it is not unusual for an air conditioner to break down, making it necessary for you to seek professional air conditioning repair services. However, this should not be happening on a frequent basis. In other words, you should not be seeking air conditioning repair services every few weeks. However, to minimize the frequency at which your air conditioner breaks down, you need to ensure that it is serviced on a regular basis. If you neglect your air conditioning equipment and fail to ensure that it is properly maintained by a professional air conditioning service, it will struggle to do its work, meaning that some of its essential components might wear out more rapidly than usual. As such, it might start breaking down more frequently, forcing you to seek air conditioning repair services every few days or weeks. On the other hand, by working with a professional air conditioning service to maintain your air conditioner and keep it in good shape, you can ensure that your air conditioner is always running at the optimum level. This way, can minimize the rate of wear and tear and consequently minimize the risk of having to seek professional air conditioning repair services on a frequent basis.
Detect Air Conditioning Problems Early
Air conditioner emergency breakdowns can cause serious inconveniences. As a result, air conditioning service providers usually charge more for emergency repairs. Therefore, you need to do everything you can to minimize the need for emergency air conditioning services. The good news is that most air conditioner problems do not develop abruptly. In most cases, one issue leads to another, and therefore, if you are keen enough, you can pick up early signs of air conditioning failure and ensure they are addressed when it is still convenient to do so. One way of doing this is by ensuring that your air conditioner is regularly maintained. During routine maintenance, your air conditioning services provider will assess the entire HVAC system to ensure that any developing problems are resolved before they can get out of hand. The good news is that regular maintenance might cost you much less than emergency repairs, and by avoiding emergency air conditioning repairs, you can save some money in the end, in addition to avoiding the inconveniences associated with emergency air conditioning breakdowns.
Save Energy
The air conditioner consumes a significant amount of electricity. However, the amount of electricity your air conditioner consumes should be consistent from one year to the other. However, if you do not take good care of your air conditioner, its efficiency will start declining rapidly and your electricity bills will, consequently, rise sharply. This can happen due to a number of reasons. For instance, if issues such as clogged air filters, dirty coils, and low refrigerant levels are not identified and resolved on time, they can force your air conditioner to work harder than necessary and consequently consume more electricity than usual. Unfortunately, this means that failure to service your air conditioner as required will significantly increase your carbon footprint and even hurt your pockets. On the other hand, by seeking the assistance of a professional air conditioning service to take care of your air conditioner, you can keep your air conditioning equipment operating optimally, which should minimize its electricity consumption, reduce your carbon footprint, and keep your energy bills low.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it is apparent that the air conditioner is not an appliance you can just install and forget. It needs to be serviced on a regular basis for it to work as it should and last as long as the manufacturer projected. If it is not serviced properly, it will operate below its optimal level, meaning that it will consume more electricity and wear out more rapidly, but fail to achieve maximum comfort levels. Therefore, it is important for you to be in touch with a professional air conditioning service to ensure that your air conditioner is always in good shape. If you are looking for a dependable HVAC company to help you take care of your air conditioning equipment in Arlington, TX, Minuteman Heating & Air is the answer. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our company and air conditioning services.