How Well Do You Know Your Air Conditioner
Air Conditioners are electronic devices that we use in our homes. They are so vital that they need constant maintenance to improve their performance. These maintenances can be done at the comfort of your home without the services of professional technicians. This are easy common maintenances techniques which when done by the home owner reduces the rate of repairs. A lot of people know little or nothing about air conducting systems and simple common maintenances practices which they can do at home.
The following information will educate and guide you on the basics of maintaining your AC unit. These basics will not make you a certified technician but only offer you simple maintenance you can do at home. People get misinformed concerning air conditioner usage hence causing more damages.
The following information will educate and guide you on the basics of maintaining your AC unit. These basics will not make you a certified technician but only offer you simple maintenance you can do at home. People get misinformed concerning air conditioner usage hence causing more damages.
The following are basic guidelines to understand how air conditioner system works:-
Clean the outdoor condenser
Cleaning is not a big task since you do clean your house regularly. The outdoor condenser should be cleared regularly to remove dirt, leaves, grass and anything clingy on the sides of the radiator. A radiator is a spiny tool that rotates when the AC is on. Switch off the power take a water spray horse and clean it thoroughly.
It is advisable to trim bushes if there are any near the outside units. This will enable free circulation of air into the condenser without any hindrance. You should also avoid building a shade, fence or anything above the condenser. A condenser blows out and any object will prevent air from flowing out freely.
Filter
A filter is usually placed in the house to prevent dust particles from entering the inner coil getting it dirty. This should be cleaned regularly especially if you have pets, vacuum clean carpets regularly or live near a dusty environment. Changing your AC filter varies with the size that your AC unit is using. A 1” filter should be replaced after a month, 2” after 2 months and 3” and 4”-5”after 6 or 12 months. It is advisable to stock pile filters in the house according to your ability to enable you change when they are damaged.
Thaw during winter
Winter is the coldest season frost may form on the outside or inside pipe. Frost will make the system not heat air properly. A simple technique called thawing will solve this problem. Thawing is switching of the AC at the thermostat and leaving the fan on. Heat from the blowing fun will make the frost to melt away quickly. Although it will take some time to melt away it is simple.
You should never set your thermostat below 70 degrees. This will lead to freezing of the system hence causing more damages. This is because the AC will not cool air faster.
Electrical Problems
A lot of breakdowns cases of air conditioning systems are electrical. The main one are blown outs fuses at the service panel outside, tripped breakers at the main power panel and blown capacitors. When your AC is not working check the faults mentioned above to save yourself some cash. Knowing were the problem is will help you get a fair price if you call a technician.
Occasionally we hear a humming sound from the AC unit. If you do not hear the sound then most likely you have a blown fuse or tripped breaker that is preventing power from reaching the unit. Take all precaution when going to check. You should switch off the power from the AC’s main panel prevent electrical shock. Do not mess anything at this point check visual fuses and capacitors if you notice some color changes then that’s the fault. Also there may be a smell. All this are indicators of faults.
Make regular checks
It is always advisable to check whether your AC is in good shape regularly.ie During winter you should check if the copper wires are covered in frost or ice. The AC should give you a sign that all is not well before it shuts down.
Upgrade your AC
Some old air condition systems are still in use in some houses today. If your AC is 10 years old, keeps breaking down now and then or you feel uncomfortable with something that old consider replacing the system. New AC will give the best and efficient service although installation may be expensive you should be ready to incur the charges.
The home techniques you have read are the common maintenance you can do at, but you should not do away with the annual maintenance recommended by professionals. Professionals will notice the smallest problems which may cause serious damages in the future. Also the professionals may advice you with more home maintenance which you can do at home. When handling small repairs or maintenances and you have a gut feeling that the problem at hand is more than you can handle, you should call for the professional technician for help.
Clean the outdoor condenser
Cleaning is not a big task since you do clean your house regularly. The outdoor condenser should be cleared regularly to remove dirt, leaves, grass and anything clingy on the sides of the radiator. A radiator is a spiny tool that rotates when the AC is on. Switch off the power take a water spray horse and clean it thoroughly.
It is advisable to trim bushes if there are any near the outside units. This will enable free circulation of air into the condenser without any hindrance. You should also avoid building a shade, fence or anything above the condenser. A condenser blows out and any object will prevent air from flowing out freely.
Filter
A filter is usually placed in the house to prevent dust particles from entering the inner coil getting it dirty. This should be cleaned regularly especially if you have pets, vacuum clean carpets regularly or live near a dusty environment. Changing your AC filter varies with the size that your AC unit is using. A 1” filter should be replaced after a month, 2” after 2 months and 3” and 4”-5”after 6 or 12 months. It is advisable to stock pile filters in the house according to your ability to enable you change when they are damaged.
Thaw during winter
Winter is the coldest season frost may form on the outside or inside pipe. Frost will make the system not heat air properly. A simple technique called thawing will solve this problem. Thawing is switching of the AC at the thermostat and leaving the fan on. Heat from the blowing fun will make the frost to melt away quickly. Although it will take some time to melt away it is simple.
You should never set your thermostat below 70 degrees. This will lead to freezing of the system hence causing more damages. This is because the AC will not cool air faster.
Electrical Problems
A lot of breakdowns cases of air conditioning systems are electrical. The main one are blown outs fuses at the service panel outside, tripped breakers at the main power panel and blown capacitors. When your AC is not working check the faults mentioned above to save yourself some cash. Knowing were the problem is will help you get a fair price if you call a technician.
Occasionally we hear a humming sound from the AC unit. If you do not hear the sound then most likely you have a blown fuse or tripped breaker that is preventing power from reaching the unit. Take all precaution when going to check. You should switch off the power from the AC’s main panel prevent electrical shock. Do not mess anything at this point check visual fuses and capacitors if you notice some color changes then that’s the fault. Also there may be a smell. All this are indicators of faults.
Make regular checks
It is always advisable to check whether your AC is in good shape regularly.ie During winter you should check if the copper wires are covered in frost or ice. The AC should give you a sign that all is not well before it shuts down.
Upgrade your AC
Some old air condition systems are still in use in some houses today. If your AC is 10 years old, keeps breaking down now and then or you feel uncomfortable with something that old consider replacing the system. New AC will give the best and efficient service although installation may be expensive you should be ready to incur the charges.
The home techniques you have read are the common maintenance you can do at, but you should not do away with the annual maintenance recommended by professionals. Professionals will notice the smallest problems which may cause serious damages in the future. Also the professionals may advice you with more home maintenance which you can do at home. When handling small repairs or maintenances and you have a gut feeling that the problem at hand is more than you can handle, you should call for the professional technician for help.
We also service all the cities throughout West Palm Beach FL in providing the most affordable local air conditioning repair solutions. Whether it is the city of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Lake Worth, or Riviera Beach, all of these cities are within our areas of service. Here are the Palm Beach County cities we offer our ac services and trusted repair solutions:
If you live outside of Palm Beach County but would like our services because we're the top AC Repair Service company in West Palm Beach, please feel free to contact us here. We believe you deserve the best services, and we are happy that we can offer that. Thanks for considering us
- West Palm Beach (WPB)
- Palm Beach
- WPB, FL
- WPB, Florida
- Palm Beach Gardens
- Boca Raton
- Jupiter
- Delray Beach
- Boynton Beach
- Lake Worth, Wellington
- Royal Palm Beach
- North Palm Beach
- Palm Springs
- Riviera Beach
- Juno Beach
- Lantana
- Green Acres
- Belle Glade
- Tequesta
- Atlantis
- Lake Park
- Manalapan
- Palm Beach Shores
- Pahokee
- Highland Beach
- AC Repair West Palm Beach
- South Palm Beach
- Ocean Ridge
- South Bay
- Hypoluxo
- Lake Clarke Shores
- Loxahatchee Groves
- The Acreage
- Jupiter Inlet Colony
- Gulf Stream
- Mangonia Park
- Haverhill
- Briny Breezes
- Cloud Lake
- Golf
- Glen Ridge
- Dunes Road
- Aberdeen
- Golfview
- Highpoint
If you live outside of Palm Beach County but would like our services because we're the top AC Repair Service company in West Palm Beach, please feel free to contact us here. We believe you deserve the best services, and we are happy that we can offer that. Thanks for considering us