Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is essential for safekeeping any significant and worthwhile goods. Unlike automobiles, which usually tell us or rather scream at us to fix them (it’s tangible, they breakdown, we pay and pay to fix them until they outlast their use, and we opt for something newer), home air conditioning systems can definitely be abused and ignored when we should be maintaining them on an ongoing basis.
If they’re working, fine, we tend to go on about our business without regard to possible breakdowns. But if you reside in a hot weather climate with humidity (namely Florida or some other southeast state or in any eastern state during the summer), being without air conditioning for any length of time certainly is uncomfortable and makes everyone miserable.
The consensus for avoiding AC breakdowns points to scheduling preventative maintenance inspections of your home air conditioning units (larger two-level homes typically have two systems, one for each floor) with an air conditioning professional and doing some simple maintenance of your own, namely changing or cleaning your air conditioning filters periodically, up to once-a-month in peak seasons when your units are running continuously.
Regular preventative maintenance increases the efficiency of your unit, prolongs its life, and troubleshoots systems to ward off significant problems in the future. Inspections usually consist of two steps:
Evaluating your system, both indoors and out, and checking vents, ducts, air handler system, and the thermostat.
The second step involves cleaning your system and replacing parts as needed, as well as applying lubricants, tightening belts, and cleaning, all with the aim to prevent build-ups of problems that can be costly and beyond your budget down the road.
Additionally, preventative maintenance inspections usually save you on energy costs, as a dirty coil, for example, on a central air conditioning system usually costs the owner hundreds more yearly to operate than a clean one. Further, clogged air filters add to operating costs. Leaks in your system’s ductwork can represent a 40% loss of energy. A close inspection of your energy bills over time can usually dictate the existence of some of these problems, ductwork leakages especially, and remind you of the cost-effective advantages of scheduling preventative maintenance inspections.
Besides saving you energy costs, keeping regular AC preventative maintenance inspection visits from your AC professional promotes healthy living, as the level of indoor air quality is usually greatly improved when your systems are running at optimal levels.
Doing other things that show your level of mindfulness and care for others, such as not smoking indoors and keeping your home regularly free of harmful pollutants, promotes healthy living for all who reside in your home, including your pets. Having houseplants adds to this ideal.
Healthy living begins with the quality of the air you breathe. Why not assure the best indoor air quality by maintaining your home’s air conditioning system and keeping regular preventative maintenance inspection visits from your AC professional. Besides, being responsible to yourself and others promotes happiness in general.
