How To Do Air Conditioner Maintenance For Efficiency & Durability

Each appliance needs regular maintenance to improve its efficiency. So as your Air Conditioners also. A little awareness and maintenance can enhance the efficiency of your AC whereas a little irregularity and negligence can cost you more. Therefore, as per the AC professionals, it is essential to have your AC serviced at least once a year which is a key feature of the maintenance of your Air Conditioner to improve its efficiency and for your comfort as well.

Why Your Air Conditioner Needs Maintenance?

You must know that by maintaining your AC you can save money and energy along with extending the lifespan of your AC. You can also save your pocket by avoiding the early replacement with good maintenance. As per the service expert, to operate at its highest efficiency, an AC needs regular attention from the starting point of its cooling session in your indoor.

By following some easy steps you can keep your AC unit running smoothly without any interruption. We are here, to help you with a complete guide which will cover the maintenance of the condenser unit,  evaporator coil, air filters, and some basic tips to maintain your Air Conditioner. Let’s know about them in brief.

How To Do Air Conditioner Maintenance

1. Clean The Air Filters

Air filters play a vital role in the cleansing of the air flow through the AC by removing solid contaminants like dust, pollen, smoke, and grease to enhance the quality of the indoor air. These filters affect the energy efficiency and lifespan of your AC as well as your health. They are commonly installed at the return air of the most air conditioners.

For the maintenance of the air filters, you must ensure their types. To get a complete idea READ: Types of filters used in ACs. Because without having the proper idea about the type of your AC filter you cannot maintain them. You must know that the filters need regular attention, checking, cleaning, and replacing if your AC is in constant use.

You can hire the technicians or clean the filters on your own in every two months. If you have pets it is essential to clean the filters in every 15 days depending upon the type of your AC filter.

2. Clean The AC Coils

Just like the air filters, there are different types of coils in an AC which need maintenance as per their type. To get a complete idea about the AC coils READ: Aluminium AC V/S Copper AC- Which is the best? 

The coils in an AC play an important role in the efficiency of the HVAC system. Through the coils, the heat from the inside air transfers to the outside air in an AC. There are two coils for the functional efficacy of an AC as the condenser coils and the evaporator coils and they need regular maintenance for improving the efficiency of your AC.

The condenser coils of an AC are fitted in the condenser unit which is usually mounted outside of the house. Due to the exposure of these coils to the harsh climate, bad weather, dust, and grime they need regular cleaning. The dirt in evaporator coils reduces airflow and the ability of the absorption of heat.

To avoid these problems you must contact the technician or your AC dealer who will check and clean the AC coils Annually.

3. Clean The AC Unit

It is seen that the outside unit of the AC builds up leaves, grass clippings, leaves etc,  over the times. These things decrease the capacity of air flow in your system and reduce the efficacy of your AC. Therefore, it is essential to keep the outside unit of your AC free from debris by regular cleansing of the surrounding area.

• Trim the shrubs and other plants back from the area to ensure the regular airflow to your system.
• Keep at least 2 feet of the area cleaned in all directions of the unit.
• It is recommended to cover the unit with a piece of plywood or plastic in winter months when the AC is not in use.
• Remember, do not cover the unit completely to avoid the build-up of moisture inside which can cause corrosion.
• Do not forget to remove them before starting the unit to operate.

4. Maintain The Fins

For the best performance of your AC fins also play a very important role. You will wonder that just like as the coils and filters, the ACs contain different types of fins like Gold fin, Aluminium fin, Hydrophilic fin, etc.

To get a complete idea about the fins you must read Blue Fin, Gold Fin, and micro-channel condenser coils.

Actually, from the different types of fins in an AC, the aluminium fins need regular maintenance for the proper working capability of your system. These fins are present in both the evaporator and condenser coils which can easily bend and block the airflow through the coils. They need regular straightening for the proper maintenance of your AC to which you can do by hiring a technician or your AC dealer. You can straight them by using a “fin comb” by your own.

5. Level Unit

You must know that an out-of-level condenser unit of your AC can cause the early failure of the compressor. Actually, the pad upon which the condenser unit being kept can begin to tip over the time as the soil gathers beneath it. As a result, your AC does not provide you with proper cooling as required.

You have to check the condenser of your AC for level and you must use rot-resistant shims to bring it back to the original level. But in case of heat pump systems, you can slope the pad from the foundation of your home to allow for defrosting run-off during the winter.

6. Clean The Plugged Evaporator Drain

The evaporator coil is the main source of cooling air to your indoor blown through them. It absorbs heat from the air and cools it before the air is circulated back to your indoor. In this process, the humidity in the air drips as a liquid into a pan below the condenser. This water flows through the drain tube from the pan and routed into outdoors.

You may have experienced the dripping of water from your AC inside the room and flooded the floor.  Actually, it happens due to a plugged drain. Over time, the mold and algae build up inside the drain pipe and plugged the drain which is usually one inch of PVC pipe may be of white, black, or grey colour.

You can clean the plugged evaporator drain on your own.

• 1st switch off the AC.
• Locate the drain and follow to the end where it drains.
• Take a wet or dry vacuum cleaner for this process and remove the paper filter from it.
• Now hold the hose of the vacuum to the end of the drain line and turn it for 2-3 minutes and them turn off.
• This process will clear all the build-up debris, molds, and algae from the evaporator drain in minutes.

7. Repair The Leakage Refrigerant

The work of the refrigerant is it absorbs the heat from the room and transitions from a low-pressure gas to a high-pressure liquid and leaves the hot air outside of the room. Again it transitions back to liquid when the compressor of the AC compresses. This cycle repeats. To get a complete idea about the refrigerants in an ac READ: Air conditioner refrigerants Comparision.

During the servicing of your AC, you must have listened about the filling up of gas in your AC from the service person. Actually, this gas is the refrigerant of an AC filled in the condenser coils without which the freezing system of an AC cannot work.

Sometimes, these refrigerants get leaked and affect the efficiency of your AC and it needs filling up of refrigerants. But only filling up the refrigerant is not the solution you have to seal the leakages by a professional manufacturer or technician. If you have an installation of annual maintenance for your AC the dealer will check the leakages and fill up the refrigerant as per the requirement of your AC.

8. Problematic Sensor

You can notice a thermostat sensor behind the control panel of your AC. The work of this thermostat is to measure the temperature of the incoming air into the evaporator coil. Therefore, a problematic sensor can hamper the efficacy of your AC. You should be careful that the sensor should not touch the coil by bending the wire carefully that holds the sensor in place.

9. Annual Maintenance

The annual maintenance not only improves the efficiency of your AC but improves your comfort also. It prolongs the life span of your AC without costing much. It covers all the problems related to your AC at a marginal cost without burning your pockets.

10. Basic Tips

• In split ACs, clean the debris, leaves, and other particles from the fan, compressor, and the condenser regularly.
• For Window AC, it is essential to inspect the window seals timely to ensure whether the cool air is escaping.
• Replace or clean the air filters of your AC routinely to save energy consumption by 5-15%.
• When your AC needs more than the basic maintenance it is recommended to hire a certified professional.

Final Talk

By following the above mentioned easy steps you can keep your AC free from all the related problems. A well-maintained AC not only saves your money and energy but keeps your unit to function effectively. There are many heating and cooling companies offer a low-cost maintenance service in which they will clean and service your AC and HVAC unit along with replacing your AC filters. It is important not to make your AC work harder than it should.