How Often Should I Have an Air Conditioning Tune Up?
Almost everyone has an air conditioner in their home, but do you know how often it needs to be serviced? Unless you are a qualified HVAC technician, keeping up on AC maintenance can be hard.
Keeping your air conditioning system running smoothly is the key to keeping your home cool and comfortable all year long. Maintenance services are critical when it comes to preventing HVAC system damage and breakdowns.
If you want to keep your cooling unit running properly, schedule an air conditioning tune up with a company you can trust. Edelman Inc. explains how often professional maintenance should be performed, what is done during a tune up, and how you benefit from this service.
How Often Should You Schedule Professional Maintenance for an Air Conditioner?
According to most HVAC system manufacturers, air conditioners should be professionally serviced once a year.
It is generally recommended to have the air conditioner tuned up before each cooling season, so early- to mid-spring is usually the best time to schedule an air conditioning tune up for homes in the Champaign, IL area. A tune up appointment typically takes around one to two hours, so you can have the rest of the day to yourself. A tune up also helps give you the ultimate peace of mind when it comes to your home, knowing that it can keep your family comfortable whenever needed.
What Is Included in an Air Conditioning Tune Up?
When an HVAC technician comes out to perform your AC unit tune up, the service includes several steps. Air conditioner maintenance tasks performed include:
- Inspecting thermostat function
- Tightening electrical connections throughout the system
- Measuring electrical current and voltage of system motors
- Lubricating moving components in the motor
- Inspecting and cleaning out condensate drain pan and drain line
- Testing system controls for safety and proper performance
- Cleaning indoor evaporator coils and outdoor condenser coils
- Measuring refrigerant charge and adjusting if necessary
- Cleaning blower assembly components
- Adjusting blower components for proper airflow
All of these tasks, when performed by a qualified technician, help to extend the life of your unit as well as allow it to run optimally.
Benefits of Air Conditioner Tune Ups
The main purpose of an air conditioning system tune up is to ensure the system is working properly and to keep it that way all year long, as well as to help prevent small issues from turning into larger ones. A tune up ensures the unit receives the necessary servicing to preserve its performance and allow the air conditioner to operate at peak energy-efficiency levels.
The purpose of an AC tune up alone is beneficial, but conducting this professional service regularly year after year delivers even more valuable perks that homeowners are grateful for.
Stopping Small Issues Before It Is Too Late
A routine air conditioning tune up service provides a chance for a qualified technician to examine the system and identify any flaws or malfunctions that exist. By performing this inspection each year, often issues can be caught while they are still relatively small. Fixing them at this stage prevents defects from creating major damage inside your AC unit, which commonly occurs when these units are operated with certain flaws present.
Minimizing Cooling Outage Threats
Tune ups counteract the regular wear and tear these units experience through operation and greatly reduce the risk of breakdowns over the coming cooling season. It also minimizes the threat of a cooling outage due to poor maintenance and can help you avoid spending your money on pricey AC system repairs.
Being Ready When You Need It
When you schedule an air conditioning tune up in the spring, a technician can tend to the system before it comes time to start using it this year. You can feel confident that your air conditioner will start right up when you’re ready to turn it on, as the technician will find and fix issues that could cause a surprise system breakdown on the first hot day of the season. This also helps you avoid a potentially long and uncomfortable wait for repair services, as HVAC contractors are typically extremely busy on this day due to surprise air conditioning system failures.
Longevity
An AC system tune up also helps you get more years of use from the unit. Minimizing stress and wear to components along with preventing damage caused by defects keeps equipment in good shape for longer, so the system can often survive beyond the expected service life.
The longer you can keep your air conditioner running efficiently, the more money you’ll save, as air conditioning replacement is a costly home improvement project.
Schedule Your Air Conditioning Tune Up Today
An air conditioning tune up should be on every Champaign area homeowner’s springtime calendar. Protect your cooling system, and schedule your professional maintenance tune up by calling Edelman Inc. today.