Tips of How to Maintain an Air Conditioner

There are all types of maintenance that we do daily.

 (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
There are all types of maintenance that we do daily. It begins in the morning from brushing your teeth to ac maintenance on your home HVAC system. Homeowners are busy, and it's easy to forget about your air conditioner maintenance. Like oil changes in a car, ac systems require periodic air filter changes. Most people aren't educated enough about HVAC maintenance & that's where the problem begins. Your air filters need changing every 30-90 days. Remember when your air conditioner turns on, it's like running a hi-powered vacuum cleaner. Filters start to fail when they become dirty. It only takes about 3 missed filter changes for your ac unit to start struggling. Proper airflow is needed through your return air filter for proper cooling operation & efficiency of your home HVAC system. If your air conditioning system begins to freeze up, you'll need professional ac repair.
There is an evaporator coil in your attic, where the dirt & dust particles accumulate. The reduced airflow through your coils causes a pressure drop in your HVAC equipment. As a result, frost begins to form on your coils. You'll then need to have your coils chemically treated & professionally cleaned. There are two ways you can clean or service your coils. You can clean your coils in place, or you can have your coils pulled out by a licensed HVAC technician. Having your coils cleaned can be expensive, it is cheaper to have them cleaned in place for half the price. Keep in mind that when cleaning your coils in place, it can be a messy proposition. Many people have no choice but to have them professionally pulled out.

To have your coils pulled out, you'll need a blow torch, manifold gauges, and some necessary HVAC specialized tools. The 1st thing you'll have to do is close the liquid line valve at the condensing unit. Closing the valve, traps, or pumps down the refrigerant in your outdoor condenser. After you pump down the system, you'll then be able to remove the evaporator coils with your blow torches. There is also a drain pan that sits underneath the coil. The drain pan can also be cleaned alongside with the evaporator coil. Another critical area where homeowners forget to maintenance is the HVAC PVC pipes. It would help if you had your PVC pipes flushed out at least once a year. All the humidity that's removed from your home escapes through your PVC pipes. Your PVC pipes remove the condensation from your evaporator coil. The PVC pipes are a breeding ground for slime & bacteria build-up. If your PVC pipes clog up in your attic, you can have a massive flood in the ceiling of your attic. Homes that have poor maintenance are also at risk of growing mold.

There are many consequences of poor maintenance. It's your job as a homeowner to prevent unnecessary ac repair. Most ac repairs are preventable with the proper maintenance. If your ac unit doesn't come on, your float switch might be activated. The float switch turns your ac system off in the event your pipes get clogged up. Luckily cleaning your PVC pipes is easy. There are many videos on youtube that show you different methods of blowing out your PVC pipes. You can choose two ways when blowing your pipes, negative or positive pressure. Vacuuming with a wet-vac is highly recommended, or you can use nitrogen to blow out your pipes. You can attach a vacuum hose at the end of your PVC pipes to vacuum out your lines. Never neglect your HVAC maintenance; it can cause many problems in the future.