Air Conditioners : Self-Maintenance Guide
Whether you have central air conditioning or a window unit, it is sensible to keep on top of maintenance to keep it running as efficiently as possible. Despite what most people think, air conditioning maintenance is not as hard as it may seem. An air conditioning system is not so difficult to understand if you spend a little time understanding how it works.
Inside all air conditioning units is a chemical called a refrigerant. The refrigerant changes to different states (low pressure gas, high pressure gas, low pressure liquid and high pressure liquid) as the air conditioning unit is being used. If an air conditioning does not have enough refrigerant, or the refrigerant has been contaminated, then it will not function properly. It is therefore important to check for leaks in an air conditioning unit from which this chemical can escape.
Cleaning the filter of your air conditioner is something that you should do on a monthly basis. This is no big hassle as it will take you just 5 or 10 minutes. The filter on central air conditioning units can be found on the top or bottom of the unit, and the filter on the window type air conditioning units can be found somewhere near the intake of the unit. You can always check the manual that came with your air conditioner if you are struggling to locate the filter.
It is important to switch off your air conditioning at the main circuit breaker before attempting to take out the filter. Having removed it, you should let it soak in warm, soapy water for 5 to 10 minutes, and then leave it to one side to dry out. If you put it back in the air conditioning unit before it has fully dried out then it is possible that mold may build up on it. For window type air conditioning unit filters, you can also use a vacuum cleaner on it.
It is advisable to hire a qualified technician for extra air conditioning maintenance every twelve to eighteen months, as they can give you a better idea about the efficiency levels of your unit and what work needs doing to enable it to operate more effectively. This could be either in the form of cleaning the mechanical parts of the compressor system, or re-gassing the refrigerant. This should not be too costly, and it will certainly cost you less than having to buy a whole new air conditioner due to not properly maintaining your current one.
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