Looking for dependable air conditioning maintenance tips? Well, we suggest you schedule your Clean and Check early. You wouldn’t drive your car 100,000 miles without changing the oil. The same logic holds true for your home comfort system. Regular preventative maintenance on your air conditioning and heating is the best way to ensure trouble-free operation and peak performance. Pre-season maintenance is also important. It can help to avoid a system failure in severe hot or cold weather when you need it most, and it can also keep your energy bill from getting out of control. Here is some air conditioning maintenance tips from Trane.
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When Should You Do Air Conditioning Maintenance?
The old adage is true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Below you’ll find our Preventative Maintenance Checklist, which is our proven method to keep your air conditioning and heating systems operating smoothly and your home in constant comfort.
- For a system that heats and cools: perform maintenance in the spring and fall.
- For cooling only: perform maintenance at least once a year, before the cooling season.
- For heating only: perform maintenance at least once a year, before the heating season.
Preventative Maintenance Tips & Checklist
Home-Tech suggests customers do an annual or bi-annual preventative maintenance on their air conditioning to ensure that your system runs as efficiently as possible. You can count on Home-Tech to perform the following tasks, depending on the unit:
Outdoor Air Conditioning Units
- Inspect unit for proper refrigerant level and adjust if necessary
- Clean dirt, leaves and debris from inside cabinet
- Inspect base pan for restricted drain openings—remove obstructions as necessary
- Inspect coil and cabinet—clean as needed
- Inspect fan motor and fan blades for wear and damage—on older models lubricate as needed
- Inspect control box, associated controls/accessories, wiring and connections. Controls may include contactors, relays, circuit boards, capacitors, sump heat and other accessories. All control box and electrical parts should be checked for wear or damage.
- Inspect compressor and associated tubing for damage
Indoor Air Conditioning Units
- Inspect and clean blower assembly (includes blower housing, blower wheel and motor)
- On older models, lubricate motor and inspect and replace fan belt if needed
- Check combustion blower housing for lint and debris and clean as necessary
- Inspect evaporator coil, drain pan and condensate drain lines. Clean as needed
- Inspect for gas leaks in gas furnaces
- Inspect burner assembly—clean and adjust as needed
- Inspect ignition system and safety controls—clean and adjust as needed
- Inspect heat exchanger or heating elements
- Inspect flue system—check for proper attachment to the furnace, any dislocated sections, and for signs of corrosion. Replace if necessary.
- Inspect control box, associated controls, wiring and connections
- Clean or replace air filters
- Inspect conditioned airflow system (ductwork)—check for leaks
While Your Air Conditioning System is Operating
- Monitor system starting characteristics and capabilities
- Listen for abnormal noise
- Search for source of unusual odors
- Monitor air conditioning and heat pump systems for correct refrigerant charge
- Measure outdoor dry bulb temperature
- Measure indoor dry and wet bulb temperature
- Measure high and low side system pressures
- Monitor gas furnace for correct line and manifold gas pressure—make adjustments as needed
- Measure temperature rise and adjust airflow as needed
- Check vent system for proper operation
- Monitor system for correct line and load volts/amps
- Monitor system operation per manufacturer’s specifications
- Provide system operation report and recommend repairs or replacement as necessary
Time to Schedule a Clean and Check
Don’t wait for an air conditioning problem, prevent it! Call Home-Tech to schedule a Clean and Check on your heating and cooling systems. Our professional, reliable and clean cut air conditioning technicians will provide a thorough and complete maintenance check. These maintenance tips will help keep your AC system in tip top shape! You can count on Home-Tech to be your comfort specialists. Call us today to get on the schedule: 800-800-8356.