You can purchase the best programmable thermostat on the market and set up the most efficient program to save the energy, but if your air conditioner does not have enough gas (freon or puron) and your filter is clogged by the dust, you will not see the energy and money savings on your utility bill you were hoping for this season. So, what can you do to make sure that your AC system is working efficiently? Here are the tips how to maintain your air condition unit this summer:
- Change your filter regularly. It is the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to make sure that you’re AC is working efficiently. If your filter is clogged you can see even up to 10% increase on your utility bill. Because of the dirty filter your system will not have any airflow to cool your home. Every time it happens your compressor is running continuously to air condition your house and because there is no air movement in the ducts your coil will freeze sooner or later and you will see the block of ice on you’re AC unit. Adam’s HVAC, Inc. recommends to change the filter every 3 months. If you have pets at home or you keep your windows open a lot, you might have to do that more often.
- Check the gas level in your AC unit before cooling season, especially if you had problem with it in the past. If there is not enough gas in your air conditioner, the air coming into the house will not be cold enough to cool your house and your AC unit won’t stop running until it freezes.
- Keep all your vents and returns open and unblocked. We are closing vents in unused rooms to save money not knowing that this is very important especially in the cooling season to keep the airflow. We do not realize that restricting the air movement might lead to coil freeze and possibly damage the compressor. In this case you will not see any energy savings and you will have to come up with the money to replace damaged compressor which can be very costly. Also, if you have any furniture blocking your vents or returns it will be good idea to move them to different location.