Four Elements Of Your AC Unit That Should Be Professionally Maintained

With spring come seasonal allergies. Whether you're allergic to tree pollen, grass, or other outdoor irritants, spring is the season to get your air conditioner serviced by a professional in anticipation of those long, hot months to come. An air conditioner that's clean and working properly helps to filter the air inside your home, reducing the effects of allergens. To get the most benefits from your air conditioning unit this season, call in a professional from a site like http://www.belairplumbing.com for more information:

Your Air Conditioner Filter

Routinely cleaning your home's air conditioner filter when it needs it, along with replacing it when it becomes to soiled to work effectively, serves multiple purposes:

  • A dirty filter can hinder the flow of air and reduce the efficiency of your unit. For the same amount of electrical power, you'll get a much-reduced flow of cool air to your rooms. This can shorten the life of your AC unit, not to mention making your family uncomfortable on those too-hot days. 
  • If your filter becomes too dirty, air that can't get through the filter will simply bypass it. This means that the dirt and dust particles present in the air reach your evaporator coils and affect their ability to absorb heat. This situation can cause cooling costs inside your home to skyrocket. 
  • Your filter helps to trap dust and allergens that can irritate those with seasonal allergies, but only if it's working properly.

Having your filter checked, cleaned, or replaced nearly always increases the efficiency of your AC unit. It also helps improve the air quality inside your home, and it's a simple job for your service professional to perform. 

Window Seals

For window cooling units, the condition of the window seal has a big impact on how comfortable your home stays throughout the summer. It also affects the size of your electric bill. Seals that are broken down or disintegrating, or those that have holes, allow warm air and pollutants to enter your home. They also allow cooled air to seep out. Additionally, if the cracks and tears in your window seals are significant enough, pests can even use them as an entry point to your home. 

Evaporator and Condensor Coils

Your air conditioning unit needs both evaporator coils and condenser coils to function properly. Evaporator coils help to absorb heat from inside your home, and condenser coils help to dissipate this heated air back outside. Both sets of coils should be regularly cleaned and maintained by a specialist in air conditioning repair. You should never attempt to open up an air conditioning unit to clean the coils unless you're specially trained to do so. Freon gas present inside the unit can become fatal if inhaled. 

While you should never attempt to clean the coils yourself, you can help keep them from becoming soiled quickly by trimming back vegetation to a distance of several feet. 

Fins and Drains

The coil fins and the condensate drain inside your air conditioning unit can also cause problems, and these are two more good reasons to have your unit inspected by a heating and cooling specialist before cranking your system up for summer. Aluminum fins are easily bent, which can obstruct airflow, and drains can clog -- causing water to pool inside the unit. Both situations can affect the efficiency of your unit's output. 

Your family's health is too important not to have your cooling unit inspected and serviced every spring. Mold spores, bacteria and other outdoor allergens can circulate inside a home with a faulty cooling system. Make your family more comfortable this year, and give yourself peace of mind, by having your AC units regularly maintained by a professional. 


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