A/C Maintenance: What Does A/C Maintenance Entail?

General A/C maintenance should take place at least once per year — usually in the spring as recommended by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute ( AHRI ). Regular maintenance helps the unit run at full efficiency which is important because studies estimate that the home’s A/C unit accounts for as much as 40 percent of the energy your home consumes during the summer months.

Here are a few A/C maintenance tips that you can do yourself:

• Generally you should be checking your home’s air filter monthly and replacing it cleaning it if you it becomes dirty. A clean air filter cuts energy consumption by up to 15 percent.
• Keep the area around the outdoor condensing unit free of debris such as weeds, leaves and grass. Spray the outdoor condensing unit with water to remove any dirt or lawn clippings.
• Make sure all the air vents in your home are unobstructed.

Each spring when you call a professional HVAC service technician, you can expect him to do the following:

1) Check the unit’s refrigerant.
2) Seal any leaks in the system’s duct work.
3) Inspect the thermostat and make sure it is accurate.
4) Check the unit’s belts.
5) Oil the units motor.
6) Measure the evaporator coil’s air flow.
7) Check the units electric control sequence.
8) Tighten any lose connections.
9) Check all of the units electric terminals.