If you use a ducted air conditioning system in your home or business, you know that service is a regular part of the maintenance process. However, there are also a number of basic maintenance tasks that you can take on yourself, and others that should be reserved for the professional. How can you tell whether it’s time to service ducted air conditioning systems? What steps can you take on your own to keeping your air conditioning system serviced? Why does it matter in the first place?
Signs That Your Ducted Air Conditioning Should Be Cleaned
How do you know if your ducted air conditioning system needs to be cleaned? You may find that there’s dirt, dust or debris inside of your vent covers. The filter may look dirty, showing signs that it needs replacing. Is there a lot of dirt building up on your vents or is the amount of air being pushed through limited? Visible dust blowing out of your ducts when your air conditioning system first starts up is a solid sign that you need to clean your ducted air conditioning system.
Another area to check is your air conditioning coils, especially if the system seems to run longer or cycle more frequently than usual, while not providing any cooler air. The coils move the heat from inside of your home to the outdoors. They’re often made of copper, aluminium or another conductive surface that quickly dissipates heat into the outdoor environment, so dirt, dust or debris that builds up on them can create an insulative barrier that prevents them from working as efficiently as they should. Hosing them off with a garden hose or a soft brush while the system is turned off will often be enough to knock any debris loose, restoring efficiency to your system.
Did you install an air conditioning system because someone in your home suffers from allergies or asthma? If so, increased attacks or general poor respiratory health may be a sign that something is wrong with your system. In this case, if you can’t figure out what to fix with the system, it’s important to call a professional to make sure the system is restored to proper working condition. You could even consider adding a UV light to the system to kill any mould spores or mildew that may be lurking in the deep, dark recesses of your system.
Change or Clean Your Filters
Though many people are aware that changing and replacing air conditioner filters is a part of their air conditioner maintenance, it’s one that’s often forgotten until there’s a problem with their system. Unfortunately, this can cause more problems down the road, and the longer it’s ignored, the worse the problem can become. This is because the airflow is restricted by the dust and debris in the filter, making your air conditioner work harder without delivering better results. Changing or cleaning the filter fixes this problem. If you’re concerned that you’ll forget this maintenance step, write it on a calendar or set a reminder to come up on your phone or computer a few days before this service is due.
Filters should be cleaned or replaced at least every six months, preferably at the beginning of the cooling system and then before you start heating in the winter. Some filters must be replaced, while others can be washed down or blown out with an air compressor at a low setting. If you’re replacing the filter, make sure to replace it with the same type of filter for your model. If you’re considering stepping up to a filter that removes more particulates from the air, talk to your air conditioning service company to make sure it will work well with your system.
Why Maintaining Your Ducted Air Conditioning Unit Is Important?
- Avoid Expensive Repairs: Annual service by a professional allows potential issues to be caught early, before they become big problems down the road that cost a lot more to fix.
- Improve the Efficiency of your Air Conditioner: When your air conditioner equipment is serviced, it’s tuned up to make sure it’s working at peak efficiency, saving you money on your utility bills.
- Improve Air Quality: Leaks in your ductwork or poor performance can cause mould and mildew to flourish in the dark spaces of your air conditioning system. Poor filtration allows dust to continue circulating in your home’s air.
- Increase Equipment Lifespan: When your equipment doesn’t need to work as hard, it lasts longer. Instead of neglect leading to a continuous chain of failures that destroy the system, it continues working.
When to Bring in a Professional
Though you expect that your air conditioner is working as it should, gradual declines in performance may go unnoticed until your system can’t keep up with demand. Annual service keeps your air conditioner operating efficiently, preventing the motor from having to work too hard and causing expensive failures down the road. At that time, your service technician can make any preventative repairs to keep your system running at peak performance.
But what about times other than your annual service appointment? If you hear strange noises when your air conditioner starts or stops, the breaker flips during normal operations, you notice unusual smells or see other concerning symptoms that something isn’t quite right, it’s important to have a service technician out to make repairs as soon as possible. Procrastinating on repairs can cause serious problems to develop down the road.
If you’re not proficient at home repairs or DIY, you don’t have to worry about your air conditioning maintenance. Instead of doing it yourself, Cool Times Air Conditioning is happy to send an experienced technician to take care of all your air conditioning system needs. Please feel free to contact us today with any questions, to get further details on the services we provide or to schedule an appointment. We’ve been Brisbane’s source for air conditioning service for 25 years.
