The lifetime and efficiency of most home appliances depend entirely on how you maintain them over some time. In many cases, neglect leads to the accumulation of dirt, dust, and other build-ups. These tend to affect the performance as well as the life of your device.

Not just during the hot weather, but taking care of your cooling partner throughout the year is crucial for the good health of the device. Apart from having a professional perform necessary repairs and maintenance once every few months, handling some basic maintenance to clean up on your own can be a good exercise to protect your device.

Here are seven simple tips on how to take care of your AC properly.

Maintenance Tips For Air Conditioner

Clean and Replace Air Filters

Your air filters are an important part of home air conditioners which require regular cleaning. Keeping it clean helps to improve airflow. Any obstruction can significantly affect the cooling capacity of your system as the airflow tends to bypass the filter and enter the evaporator coil with dust particles, thus damaging them.

Check the HVAC connections & clean your air filters at least once a month. If you have pets at home, it is recommended that you clean twice or thrice every month as fur particles tend to clog the filter. Consider a replacement after a few years to maintain the filtering capacity.

Ensure Your Thermostat Is Working

A thermostat is a fundamental device of your air conditioning system that helps to maintain or adjust the temperature at the desired level. But is it also the most ignored part of the system during regular servicing, which could be a problem.

Check your thermostat to ensure that it can maintain the right temperature. If your home still has an old, manual, or mechanical thermostat, consider an upgrade to a smart and programmable model that also offers customizable settings for energy savings. Modern systems also offer the liberty to program variable temperature settings during different times of the day that can be quite useful.

Never Leave Doors And Windows Open While Running The Unit

One of the most basic tips to maintain the good health of your air conditioning system is to avoid operating it in hostile conditions. Often users tend to leave doors or windows open while running the AC.

While it lets the cool air from inside the room escape, it also increases the pressure on the cooling unit to reduce the temperature of the room that could damage critical components in the system. Close windows, doors, before running your AC for best results. Also, inspect your walls, doors, windows for any gaps and fill them up to improve cooling capacity.

Clean Up Your Outdoor Unit

In the case of most new air conditioners, the crucial cooling system or the condenser and fan unit are located in a separate outdoor unit, usually placed away from the indoor module. It means that the system is prone to dust, dirt, falling leaves, rain, wind, and several other environmental factors that could degrade the efficiency and quality of the components over time. These particles could clog the unit and hinder hot air from exiting the system.

It could lead to increased heat within the unit that could lead to damage or poor cooling efficiency. Make sure to clean the outdoor unit once every few months using a hosepipe. Do not place condenser units near trees, plants, or close to any obstructions as it could hinder the airflow.

Don’t Ignore The Coils

The evaporator and condenser coils in your air conditioning unit are essential components of your system. If they are surrounded by dirt or dust, it increases the stress on the system to provide optimum cooling for your room, which could be challenging. It will make your system work harder and longer and thus increase power consumption as well.

Use a portable vacuum cleaner or a bristle brush to clean the coils once every few months. Be careful while unscrewing the metallic components around these coils and ensure you properly place them back.

Check The Cooling Agent

Your air conditioning unit contains a cooling agent that is necessary to create cool air and maintain the temperature inside the room. For your AC to provide optimum cooling, the system needs to contain a proper level of the cooling agent.

One of the most common problems, when your AC is unable to keep the room cold, is low levels of cooling agent, which could be due to leakage. In this case, have a service professional examine your appliance immediately and fix any leakage.

Consider An Upgrade

If your AC is older than 10 years, then the best way to conserve energy as well as achieve the best cooling is to replace it with a new model. Updating the system will reduce energy consumption. Also, outdated models may not have components available in the market, which could make replacing any element in your system difficult in case of a breakdown.

Conclusion

Schedule proper maintenance visits by a service professional at least twice a year. Make sure the scheduling is typically after the summer and before the summer begins to prepare it for the hot days. Make sure they inspect all the elements of the system, clean out the drain holes, filter, and also replace any parts if necessary. Routine check-ups of your AC will keep it in great shape for a long time.