To extend the lifespan and efficiency of your air conditioning unit, it is important to have it serviced on a regular basis. Your unit needs to be cleaned routinely; but it also needs to be inspected regularly to ensure that it is operating at peak efficiency. Having AC maintenance completed consistently helps protect you from emergency situations that could have been avoided if your unit had not been neglected.

Air conditioning units should be serviced annually, if not bi-annually. Ideally, all AC units would be serviced every Spring. When your AC unit is serviced in the Spring months, you can quickly identify if there was any damage caused by winter weather. Before you begin cranking up your air conditioning for the summer months, you want to ensure that the unit is working effectively and efficiently. If your unit seems unusually warm, you may want to contact your local technician.

Some individuals choose to get their unit serviced bi-annually. Many technicians would recommend scheduling two service visits a year. When getting your unit serviced twice a year, opt for appointments in the spring and fall. While spring services ensure that there was no damage done in the winter, fall service checks provide a wonderful opportunity to clean your unit. Summer months can increase the debris and uncleanliness of your air conditioner. If you want to extend the lifespan of your unit, have a technician come and determine that your unit is in its prime before the cold weather kicks in.

When your unit is being serviced, the technician should be checking for the following things:

• Refrigerant levels
• Airflow through coil
• Tight connections in all pieces
• Seal or duct leakage
• Thermostat accuracy
• Cleanliness of drains, plugs, pipes, and filters

It is crucial that air conditioning units get serviced either once or twice annually. There are many benefits to servicing your unit routinely. Whether you want to ensure your unit is operating at peak efficiency or guard yourself against an expensive emergency in the future, it is important to prioritize regular maintenance checks.

Benefit #1: Optimize Efficiency

Maintaining your air conditioner ensures that is regularly operating at peak efficiency. There are many reasons why AC units may begin declining. Whether the pipes are filled with debris or the filters need changing, unawareness of issues could be increasing your power bill exponentially. Servicing your unit annually saves money in the long-term by stabilizing electric bills.

Benefit #2: Overall Money Saving

When individuals do not service their unit regularly, it is more likely that they will have a sudden unit breakdown down the road. By servicing the air conditioning unit regularly, technicians will be more likely to catch issues at their start. Catching issues promptly will reduce unnecessary long-term damages and expensive repairs.

Benefit #3: Extended Lifespan for Your Unit

Units function effectively and are more likely to have an extensive lifespan if they are serviced regularly. Regular maintenance appointments allow your unit to remain in top notch condition. Units that are not serviced regularly will have to be replaced more quickly than desired. Units that are regularly serviced have a lifespan of up to 15 years while still operating at peak efficiency.

In short, servicing your unit regularly will ensure that it operates at peak efficiency over a long period of time.

Although air conditioner leaks may seem daunting, many leaks can be fixed quite simply. In many cases, you don’t even need to call a professional in order to solve for a leak. There are only a few potential causes of air conditioning leaks, some common issues include:

Cause 1: Faulty Drain Pan

A drain pan is a pan made of sheet metal that is underneath your AC unit. The purpose of this pan is to catch any excess water that leaks out of the AC. If your AC unit has been in high gear or is exposed to extremely cold temperatures, it can cause the drain pan to crack. Cracks in the drain pan can result in water leaking out into the area surrounding the unit. Drain pans are inexpensive and highly accessible. If the source of the leak is the drain pan, it can be fixed quickly and affordably.

Cause 2: Unclean Air Filters

In rare cases, dirty air filters can cause your air conditioner to leak. When air cannot flow regularly over the evaporator coil, the coil gets too frigid and freezes over. When the freeze inevitably melts, the coil drips and may cause an excess of water in the drain pan. By simply changing the filter, this problem can be solved for.

Cause 3: Clogged Drain Line

Debris and bacteria can easily clog the condensate drain line, causing water to back up inside the pipe. When water is sitting idle in the pipe, it may eventually leak through the joints, sealings, or cracks. If left standing for a long period of time, clogged drain lines may cause corrosion and mold growth within the pipes.

Cause 4: Low Refrigerant Levels

When refrigerant levels are lower than average, the evaporator coil will freeze. The frost on the coil will eventually melt and the excess water could potentially overflow the drain pan. There are a few signals that refrigerant levels are low; signals include inaccurate airflow through the house and bubbling noises coming from the unit.

Thankfully, many causes of AC leaks can be solved quickly and easily. If you aren’t able to determine what is causing the leak in your unit, contact your local technician and your leak will be solved for in no time.

If you are frequently having to have the refrigerant in your system refilled, there is a good chance that there is a leak occurring somewhere. When your unit is installed, it is already filled with the amount of refrigerant needed to function properly. Under perfect circumstances, you would never have to adjust the refrigerant levels in your unit. Since recharging the refrigerant is not a standard service, it typically signals that there is a bigger problem elsewhere.

Refrigerant is a chemical that absorbs and releases heat from the air. Refrigerant travels within copper coils and transfers air between the indoor and outdoor systems. There are a couple things that may be happening that cause your refrigerant levels to need adjustment.

Refrigerant recharges are commonly needed because there is a leak somewhere within your system. Leaks can be found in the line set, coil or the condenser itself. If there is a leak in the system, it is important that it is fixed by an HVAC technician. Refrigerant is a dangerous chemical that requires proper handling. There are many safety measures that must be taken when handling refrigerant. If you think that your refrigerant is leaking, there are a few different signals that you can look out for. Common symptoms of refrigerant leaks include unusually expensive electric bills, lack of cool air flow throughout the house, warm air coming through the vents, and frost on the evaporator coil.

If your technician is constantly saying that he needs to “recharge your refrigerant,” you may need to get a second opinion. Since refrigerant can be dangerous and can only be handled by trained professionals, some dishonest technicians use “refrigerant recharges” as a way to scam their customers. Since refrigerant is generally expensive, they can charge a high cost for a “recharge.” If there is a leak in the system, it needs to be discovered and solved for. If your technician is claiming that your refrigerant needs to be adjusted but there is no leak, beware that it might be a scam. Before allowing technicians to adjust your refrigerant levels, ask questions to determine if there is truly an issue that needs to be solved for.

Contact your Capella Air Conditioning & Heating technician if you believe your refrigerant is leaking.

There are many things to consider when determining whether your air conditioning unit should be replaced of repaired. Almost anything can be “repaired.” For every repair, it is important to consider if the reparation is worth the cost associated. On the other hand, unit replacements can be expensive.

There is one thing that most professionals can agree on and that is assumption that you should replace your unit if it is over 15 years old. If a unit has been operating for 15 years, it is not worth investing money in. After operating for 15 years, it is inevitable that efficiency of the unit will begin to decrease. If you have an older unit has been repaired a few times but your electric bills continue to increase, consider replacing your unit. When the efficiency of your unit is declining, the efficiency dwindles and your energy bill will continue to rise accordingly.

If your AC unit is constantly needing repairs, it is likely in your best interest to replace rather than repair your unit. If your unit is on decline, it may stop distributing cool air properly and many parts of the units may begin malfunctioning. Instead of constantly investing money into a faulty unit, consider replacing your unit for one that operates at a higher efficiency. If you have seen your energy bill rising continually, it may be time to replace your unit and obtain a system that operates at peak efficiency. Although unit replacements are an expensive investment initially, they will likely save you a significant amount of money overall.

If your unit is fairly new and has not needed many repairs in the past, it is most likely worth investing in. If your unit is under 10 years old, it can likely be repaired easily and then continue to work properly for years to come. If you have not seen any patterns of abnormal behavior or abnormal energy bills, most issues can be solved for with a simple repair. If you have seen your energy bill rising continually, you may want to consider replacing your system with one that uses less energy.