AC Maintenance: Lower Bills, Better Performance

Avoid the Heat: How AC Maintenance Prevents Breakdowns

Home! It is a place of belonging, where the people and things that surround you seem so comfortable and welcoming. The comfort that derives from familiar spaces includes the cool of air conditioning during hot, humid summer months. The relief we experience when walking inside from blazing heat often results in an audible sigh and a slight smile on our faces. Even the sound of cooling cycles blends into the background noises of our lives.

Now, imagine the change in our attitude and comfort level should the air conditioner system suddenly fail. To avoid this unfortunate possibility, your system needs regular preventative maintenance.

Consider simple maintenance on a vehicle. No one can perceive the loss of rubber from tires or brake depth with each trip, but we know it is happening. The same process happens with an air conditioning system; very slight wear and tear happens with each cooling cycle. It might not be perceptible, but it is surely happening. For this reason, air conditioner maintenance is important.

AC Maintenance Focuses on Cleaning

Dust and airborne particles cause significant problems for air conditioning systems.

• The air filter captures dust, pollen, and dander inside the home. A very powerful blower motor draws all the inside air through one duct, and the air is filtered before it returns to the home. If unchanged, the filter becomes so encrusted that air has a hard time passing through it. Since the air conditioner requires air movement, a clogged filter will prevent the air conditioner from cooling properly. It also makes the air conditioner work much harder than necessary.
• The outside corollary to the air filter is the condenser unit. The walls of the condenser are made of a network of coiled tubes. The hollow interior contains a huge fan that draws air through the tubes to cool the hot refrigerant inside. Pollen, dust, and debris, such as grass clippings, collect on and in the tube network, making it harder for air to get through. Cleaning this away is essential.
• An interior area that also needs cleaning is the evaporator chamber. In this area, dust combines with moisture—what a mess. The coils get coated, and the drain pan collects this mixture.
• The ductwork can also collect large amounts of dust, and the network needs to be cleaned on occasion.

AC Maintenance Focuses on Performance

An air conditioning system is a fine network of electrical, mechanical, and chemical components.

• The electrical current ranges from 220V to 24V. It takes specialized equipment and training to know the difference between the wiring. The current determines which setting to put the tester on and where to attach the probes, and that takes proper training.
• Checking the refrigerant level also takes specialized training. Can you locate the valve? Handling Freon gas, the gas that accomplishes heat transfer, requires certification by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
• Certain switches and sensors are more susceptible to wear than others. Knowing which connection points to check comes from training and experience. In addition, electrical problems in one location can lead to a cascade effect of stress and failure. Knowing where to look downstream is also important training.
• When a part needs to be replaced, it will take skill and training to make the repairs properly. When the air conditioning system reaches the end of its life and needs to be replaced, this takes even more specialized training and equipment.

Maximize Your AC’s Efficiency with Regular AC Maintenance From Mullinix AC and Heating

This article emphasizes the importance of regular AC maintenance to prevent system failures and maintain home comfort. It highlights how dust and airborne particles can compromise AC cleaning components like filters, condenser units, and ductwork. The article also explains that AC systems have electrical, mechanical, and chemical components that require professional attention for optimal performance.

For more information about R.M. Mullinix and our College Station AC maintenance services, schedule an appointment or visit our AC repair and maintenance information page.