Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Time For Your Spring Air Conditioner Checkup


It's been a long winter in most of the country, but spring has finally arrived - birds are returning from their winter habitats, the first flowers and plants are beginning to emerge from the thawed earth and you see the branches of the trees in your neighborhood bearing buds which will soon bring forth leaves. It's a great time of year and we all look forward to the warming temperatures and spending more time outdoors. Of course, this means that summer will be here before we know it and with it, the need for air conditioning.

Spring may not be a time when most of us spend too much time thinking about air conditioning, but now is definitely the time to give your air conditioning system's annual spring checkup - put it on to your spring cleaning list and make sure that's your whole home is prepared for the arrival of summer.

There are a number of different things which should be examined as a part of your spring air conditioner checkup; keep reading to learn more about this process - there's more to it than you may have supposed. That's why this is a job best left to the professionals, no matter how handy you may be elsewhere around the home. Central air conditioning units are complex pieces of equipment.

1) The first thing that needs to be checked is your air conditioning unit's coolant levels - you definitely don't want to try cooling your home without having ample coolant in the system. This will be check and if necessary, topped up to the appropriate level. You'll also need to have the disconnect switch looked at to make sure that it is in good working order; this is a vital part of your AC system.

2) Next on the list are your condenser coil and your condensate line. The condenser coil is a key part of your air conditioning unit and if this is not working properly, your AC is not going to work efficiently (or perhaps even at all). The condensate line carries water condensation from the air away from the rest of the unit and if this becomes clogged, your air conditioning unit can become flooded - this should be checked for foreign objects regularly.

3) As part of your spring checkup, the startup capacity will be checked, along with measurements of several other important metrics including testing whether your compressor amperage meets the unit's specifications, the performance of your unit's motor as well as whether your unit's capacitors are performing within the parameters specified by the manufacturer.

4) Testing the safety controls is another important part of spring checkups and maintenance for your central air conditioning unit. Like anything else, safety comes first with your air conditioning unit and your safety controls including various fuses and emergency off switches need to be tested at least once a year to make sure that your air conditioning unit is operating safely.

5) The main switching relay of your air conditioning unit also needs to be evaluated to make sure that it is in good shape. This is the core of the electrical system in the unit and as such needs to be examined as part of your spring checkup. The motors in your unit will also be lubricated if required and your thermostat tested and calibrated to ensure proper functioning for your unit once summer heat sets in.

6) All wiring and connections in your air conditioning unit will need to be checked and tightened to ensure continuing functionality and safety. Air flow including your air filter will also be done during your air conditioning spring check up and if necessary, your air filter will be replaced.

Following all of these internal tests and tune-ups, there will be several tests done within your home as well. Air temperature will be tested during the operation of your air conditioning unit to make sure that your air conditioning is working properly. The connections of the air ducts going into your home from the unit will be checked and reconnected if necessary to prevent cool air from escaping before it even makes its way into your home. Your unit's piping will be inspected to make sure that it is in good shape and free of vibration, the state of your outdoor motor fan checked and your unit's function monitored to make sure that every part of your system is working together properly.

As you can see, there are a lot of different things which need to be looked at as part of your air conditioning unit';s spring checkup; all of them are necessary to make sure that your central air is working efficiently and safely. Now that spring is upon us, it's time to schedule your spring air conditioning checkup so that once the mercury begins to rise; your home will be well prepared.

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