Avoid AC Repairs By Keeping Your Air Conditioning Unit Well Maintained

If you live in the south you know that the summers get very hot. Temperatures in the 100's are not uncommon and the humidity is very high. For this reason it is important to make sure your AC unit is working properly before the summer heat comes strolling in. So let's talk about what you need to do to make sure your air conditioning unit is maintained properly and is in good working order.

First you should look at a few things yourself. The first thing to always inspect is the filter. The filter in most AC units is located near the blower unit. These filters range in size and vary in price. You will need to remove the old one and check the size and then buy the exact same size for your unit. The costs of a new filter depend on how the quality of the filter and what you are trying to filter from the air. Generally you don't want to buy a filter that restricts the air too much. I typically buy the low cost filters and change them often, but if you suffer from allergies you might want to get a high quality filter. Whatever you do make sure you change the filter often. Also make sure the filter is put back in the proper place and the pay attention to the arrows on the side of the filter. The arrows point in the direction of the air flow.

The next thing you want to do is make sure there are no air restrictions to the outside units. Sometimes bushes and weeds can grow around the outside units and you want to make sure that there is plenty of room around the AC units. The other consideration in keeping your home cool is to keep your thermostat at the right levels. Let's say you want the temperature at night to be 72 degrees. Some people will turn their units off during the day in order to save money, and then turn the unit down low when they get home. This can cost you more money in the long run and cause your air conditioning unit to work harder. I recommend setting your thermostat no higher than 75 degrees during the day and then turn down at night. This way the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard to get back to 72 degrees, and you most likely will not spend more money doing this way.

The last recommendation is to have a trained air conditioning repairman to service your AC unit before summer arrives. They will check the refrigerant levels and make sure they are at the optimum levels. They will also clean your evaporator coils which help your AC run at peak efficiency.