Let’s face it: air conditioning equipment is subject to extreme duty and will probably take quite a beating. You can combat the effects of misuse and abuse with good annual maintenance. Well-maintained air conditioners will perform better and can contribute to overall satisfaction. While some maintenance like inspecting and cleaning the indoor return air filters should be performed on a monthly basis, there are additional steps that should be taken annually by qualified personnel.

We suggest the following annual maintenance for central air conditioners:

1. Clear the coils and drain pan of all debris (lint, dirt, leaves, paper, etc.). Make sure there are no obstructions to airflow or condensate and check for air leaks around the sealing surface.

2. Clean the coils and drain pan with a soft brush and compressed air or vacuum. Take care not to bend the aluminum fins and protect all electrical components from any water or spray. Allow the unit to dry completely.

3. Inspect all gasket material for deterioration and replace as necessary.

4. Check the indoor blower housing, blower wheel, condenser fan blade and condenser shroud and clean them of any debris including mold and fungus. An antibacterial/antifungal cleaner may be used on the blower housing and blower wheel. Rinse with warm water and allow complete drying.

5. Inspect all the control components, both electrical and mechanical, as well as the power supply to insure they are working properly.

6. Check around the unit both indoors and outdoors to ensure that the required clearances have been maintained. For example, make sure that outdoor shrubbery has not grown in such a way as to block outdoor airflow. Trim back any plants that may flourish in the spring and summer months, creating a problem later.

7. Clean all obstructions or debris from the sleeve and drain system using an antibacterial/antifungal cleanser. Rinse with warm water and allow to dry thoroughly. Check the sealant around the sleeve and reseal any areas as needed.

8. Clean the front cover using a mild detergent and rinse with warm water. Allow the cover to dry completely before reinstalling it to the chassis.

Following these annual maintenance suggestions should help prevent performance problems when it counts the most. And when purchasing new units, remember to look for features that make routine maintenance easier. This will save time and money. For example, are filters easily accessible?

If you are like everybody else in the world, you will want your air conditioner to last as long as possible. These units can be very expensive to replace, so proper air conditioner maintenance is a must. By caring for your unit properly, you will be able to keep your air conditioner for as long as possible. This will surely save you a couple thousands of dollars throughout the course of your life.

While trying to keep your air conditioner in tip top condition, there are a couple of tips that you will want to follow. They are as follows:

1. Make sure that you check all of the air conditioner hoses for leaks at least twice a year. The best times to do this is before you turn your unit on for the summer, and just before you are ready to turn it off for the winter. By doing this you will be able to catch onto any problems before they get to be too serious for repair.

2. It is important to keep the outside air conditioner compressor as clean as possible. Of course it is going to get dirty because of natural occurrences, but by spraying it off with a hose every so often, you will be able to keep it looking new for longer.

3. Have the ductwork cleaned by a professional every couple of years. This maintenance may not seem like a big deal, but it can extend the life of your air conditioner.

4. During the winter months, make sure that you keep the compressor covered. By doing this you will protect it from cold weather as well as harsh conditions such as snow and sleet. When you are buying your air conditioner, ask the installation company if they also have a cover that you can buy. If they do, you should purchase one on the spot. This way you will always have a cover that fits your unit without hassle.

Air conditioner maintenance is very important if you want your unit to last a long time.

The basic theory of heating and cooling a house or building is based on the knowledge that cold air is heavier than warm air and settles near the bottom of any space. With this information in hand, air conditioning and heating installation has been studied to gain the most efficiency of modern equipment. Typically, under the name of HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, engineers look at a building and determine the best path for the tempered air to take.

When heating units were first installed in homes and buildings, they counted on gravity to circulate the air. Furnaces were placed in the bottom of a building with ductwork installed to carry the heat to the upper level. As the air in the upper levels cooled, it was moved by gravity through separate, cold air ducts, back to the furnace where it would begin its cycle over. Using that theory, air conditioning and heating installation contractors can design a system to utilize gravity, as well as forced air movement, to maintain a building�s comfort level.

Depending on the heat source of a furnace, most communities regulate who is allowed to install furnaces, requiring either a licensed electrician or certified plumber to complete the air conditioning and heating installation to insure it will present no danger to the building�s occupants. While just about anyone can fasten parts into place, not only is the efficiency in jeopardy, a faulty air conditioning and heating installation can also put the people in danger.

Appropriate Venting Required On All Units

On all issues of air conditioning and heating installation, proper venting has to be considered to maintain safety as well as to improve efficiency of the units. Improper venting of a heating system can allow toxic gases such as carbon monoxide to escape into the interior air. Even the smallest leak of this gas can prove deadly to the occupants.

With air conditioning, for every inch of air cooled, another inch is heated and unless it is handled properly, the unit will not work efficiently. During air conditioning and heating installation there is always a means to have to hot air produced by the air conditioner vented away from the area being cooled, to allow for more efficiency. Without the proper venting of the heated air, the conditioner is simply cooling the same amount of air it is heating and not being productive to account for the energy used.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about air conditioning and heat installation but don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

By Roland Parris Jefferson III

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding air conditioning and heat installation. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about air conditioning and heat installation.

Even though you may not be a qualified HVAC technician there are several things you can do to you improve your air conditioner’s efficiency and prolong it’s life. It is still a good idea to havea qualified service man check your refrigerant pressures and temperatures every few years to obtain maximum system efficiency. Many things done on a preventive maintenance can be done by most home owners and do not require any specialty tools or instruments.

Many people don’t realize that the furnace filter they are accustom to changing is also used for your central air system. Make sure to inspect your system air filter monthly and replace as needed. A clean air filter is just as if not more important for air conditioning than heating.

You will also want to make sure most of the supply registers for you system are open. Air conditioners are sized for a specific amount of air flow so if it is restricted by closed registersproblems may occur. Be sure the drain line from the indoor coil or evaporator is clear and that there are no kinks in the hose. If this line seems very dirty you can pour common house hold bleach through it to kill growing bacteria.

Next you will want to turn the power off to the out door unit or condenser at the breaker and remove all grass and shrubs growing with in 8-10 inches of the coil that surrounds the air conditioner. Use a garden hose to soak down the coil surface area making sure not to use so much pressure that you damage the coil fins. Apply a condenser coil cleaner product that comes in a aerosol spray can or mixable concentrate and let soak for 3-5 minutes. Remove the units top and flush coil clean with a garden hose preferably from the inside out. Oil the condenser fan motor with 4-5 drops of a light weight oil, provided the motor has oiling ports.

Reassemble and restore power to the air conditioner. Set your thermostat to cool and below roomtemperature. After letting in run for 5-10 minutes check the discharge temperature at one of the supply registers closest to the indoor air handler. A quick rule of thumb is that you should have a 15 to 20 degree difference in supply air temperature and room air temperature. So if it is 76 degrees in the house your supply air temperature should be around 56 to 61 degrees. If the temperature difference is less than 15 degrees you may have to have a air conditioning technician check the refrigerant levels.

Examine the outside condensing unit
Initially, you’ll want to ensure that the condensing unit isn’t being covered, so that it can draw air into the cooling system to cool the insides of the home. If you’ve temporarily stored items near or on the condensing unit, you’ll want to remove them, so that the unit can function at a higher capacity.

Check out your air conditioner ahead of time
Before you need your air conditioner, it may be a good idea to turn it on and let it run for a few minutes. There’s nothing worse than finding that your air conditioner isn’t functioning properly on the sweltering days of summer. Check out how your air conditioner is running before the warm season, and beat the heat.

Routinely change your air filters
Regularly changing air filters are of the utmost importance when it comes to air conditioning maintenance. Filters that aren’t clean reduce efficiency and block air flow to your home. Keeping clean filters not only will keep your home cooler, but it will also save you money on costly repairs.

Inspect the access panels
Perform a check to ensure that access panels are in place and properly secured.

Check for Impediments
Remove all observable impediments near the exterior of the unit.

Check the mode
Your thermostat should be set to cooling mode, as opposed to heat mode if you want your home to get cooler.

Outsource cleaning the air conditioning system
If you want your air conditioner to operate at its highest level of efficiency, you’ll have to keep it clean. Though it may not seem like a problem, homeowners shouldn’t clean the system themselves using water, due to risks associated with electrical shock. If possible, homeowners should contact an experienced air condition repair and services technician to handle the job for them.

Posted by permission from ServiceFinders.net and HeatCoolNews.com ServiceFinders.net.

Tags: air conditioner