The central air conditioning unit in your home is a major appliance that you need to keep up with maintenance on, just as you would with any other appliance in your home. This appliance is a great convenience to have in a home and one that you will appreciate on an extremely hot day when you want to crank it to a low temperature and relax after a long day of being outside. If you aren't maintaining your air conditioner, you are going to set your system up for failure, meaning your system is going to break down long before the end of its life span. If you aren't sure how to maintain your air conditioner, read on for some maintenance tips.

1. Spray The Unit Clean

Spray the condensing unit with a garden hose so you can remove the dirt buildup on the system. If you are not cleaning your system, there may be a thick layer of debris stuck to the fins of the unit that could cause your system to not be able to run properly. Spray the unit from the inside and out towards the outside so you do not spray the moving parts or the motor inside the unit. Remove as much of the debris as possible. To do this, you need to remove the housing and reach inside to spray it clean.

2. Remove Overgrown Landscaping

You need to remove all overgrown landscaping that you may have growing too close to your condensing unit. If there are plants, grass, or bushes growing too close to your unit, they may end up causing problems for the unit. Keep a few feet of clearance around your unit to prevent a blockage in the flow of air to your unit.

3. Vacuum Your Interior Vents

You should vacuum the vents inside of your home to prevent a buildup of dust and dander from being blown around inside your home, which may cause an issue with the flow of air to your system. Remove the vent covers and use the extension hose to vacuum the interior of the vents. Be sure all of the vents are clean and open and do not have anything covering the vents, which may create hot spots throughout your home. This can cause the air conditioning system to think it needs to run more because of the difference in temperature. The extra running of your system may cause your system to over-run and wear out.

If you are not maintaining your air conditioning system, you are going to need to either start doing these tasks or hire a professional HVAC maintenance company to do this work for you.

Contact a company like Fred Williams and Sons Heating & Cooling to learn more. 

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