Air conditioners play an essential role in most residential and commercial buildings. These devices are designed to supply cold air inside the building by removing humidity and heat from indoor air. Essentially, they make a building cooler and more comfortable to stay in.
Air conditioners are equipped with filters, fans, compressors and other components to deliver their purpose. However, most of these are exposed to various outdoor particulates, and despite the relatively clean air in Australia, they become dirty over time. As such, the quality of cold air produced gets affected.
To ensure that your air conditioning unit delivers the expected outputs, you should have its AC filter and the entire unit regularly and adequately maintained. Here are a few tips to do it.
Clean and Change the AC Filter Regularly
The AC filter catches harmful particulates in the air like dust, fungal spores, pet dander and mould. But as time goes by, the volume of particulates trapped in the filter increases, affecting the filter’s filtering performance. When this happens, you need to have the filter cleaned or replaced.
For best results, it is best to hire the service of a professional service provider. Typically, these contractors employ a team of experts with extensive experience in AC filter cleaning and replacement. They have the proper know-how when it comes to air conditioning maintenance, so you will most likely get the most out of hiring them.
Clean the Outdoor Unit
The air conditioner’s outdoor unit should also be regularly cleaned like the filter. This is because the unit is exposed to the outdoor environment. Also, it is prone to collecting debris that could affect the unit’s role to disperse the heat collected by the indoor unit.
If you plan to clean the outdoor unit by yourself, make sure that the AC’s power supply is turned off to avoid accidental electrocution. Aside from removing the stranded debris, rake the leaves and keep the area around the unit free from anything that might block the airflow. Also, keep the nearby vegetation neatly trimmed.
Clean the Fins
When doing maintenance, don’t forget to check the unit’s fins to see the volume of debris and dirt stuck in it. Spend some time cleaning the fins by removing the unit’s outer cover and all the stubborn particles using a powerful vacuum cleaner. You can also spray the remaining debris off the fins with a garden hose.
Checking the fins for possible bents is also equally important. It allows you to determine if your AC unit has bents that cause insufficient airflow. You can also fix the existing bents using a fin comb.
Clean the Coils
The coils used in air conditioners are essential. They help the refrigerant in the absorption of heat and keep the air-conditioned area cool. However, due to the continued use and dirt buildup, the coils’ heat absorption is significantly reduced. As a result, the air conditioning needs to work harder to provide the desired amount of cold air.
To prevent your AC unit from experiencing unnecessary strain, clean the coils regularly. For a start, you can clear the debris that surrounds the AC’s condenser unit. You can also hire a professional AC maintenance company to handle the job on your behalf.
Have the AC Maintained by Professionals
Although you can handle all the AC unit’s cleaning and maintenance procedures, hiring a professional service provider is strongly advised. This is because doing such provides a lot of advantages, especially the following.
- Helps you save time and effort
- Provides a cost-efficient solution
- Prolongs the life of the AC
- Helps you maximise savings due to reduced electrical consumption
- Allows you to focus more on other essential tasks
- Safety
- Provides free best practices advice
- A warranty backs the service and output
Things to Consider When Hiring an AC Maintenance Company
Hiring a reliable maintenance company is a must to ensure that your AC units are in tip-top shape. But due to the abundance of available service providers out there, choosing the best can be difficult. So, consider the following when looking for a service company.
Licenses and Certifications
Check if the AC maintenance company you plan to hire has the appropriate licenses and certifications. Also, check if their technicians are HVAC System Performance Certified. This can be done by looking into the company’s website or asking the company’s representative.
Affiliations
Looking into their affiliations is an excellent way to assess a service provider’s reputation. For best results, check if the company is associated with the Better Business Bureau and holds an A rating.
Furthermore, you can assess their reputation by checking the client reviews on their website, Google and other social media pages. Go for the service provider with an excellent customer service record.
Professional Experience
Examine the work portfolio of the AC maintenance company that you are planning to hire. It is best to prioritise those with extensive experience in handling AC maintenance. Doing this allows you to obtain the service of a proficient contractor with ample know-how on how to handle various AC maintenance scenarios like filter changes.
Additionally, it is helpful if you will consider hiring a service provider with the right equipment. This will most likely help them do maintenance tasks with the best outcomes.
Availability
Check on the contractor’s capability to immediately respond to your AC maintenance needs. A service provider that offers 24/7 emergency services can accomplish the tasks at hand faster.
Also, think twice about hiring a company with limited personnel because the number of technicians they have directly affects their response time and the capability to complete what needs to be done in a short period.
Insurance
Consider the service of an AC maintenance company with an insurance policy intended for the welfare of its technicians and customers. Although the cost of hiring a fully insured company is most likely higher than those that operate without insurance, the price difference will most likely be worth it.
Conclusion
Knowing the best ways to keep an AC unit clean and well-maintained is vital for building owners. This could ensure that the air conditioning units in the properties are working well and stay that way for a long time. Also, keeping the AC units clean allows them to deliver their purpose with minimal energy consumption.
Building owners are also strongly encouraged to hire a reliable AC maintenance company to handle all the needs of the building’s ACs. This could mean incurring additional expenses, but having a trusted service provider at your side when the need arises is proven as a good investment in the long run.
