We all know that we should maintain all of our appliances. Still, we rarely find the time or motivation to do it ourselves. So should we pay someone to do the maintenance for us? Well, that feels like cheating. Most of us would rather have our A/C break down than pay for someone else to do work we could have done ourselves.
But, can homeowners do the job as well as the pros?
It turns out you can’t.
The average person can, at most, take care of simple maintenance procedures that will keep our A/C chugging along. However, it takes a real professional to get our systems back into prime condition. Thankfully, the Done Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric team are the kind of people you need for all your A/C maintenance needs.
Maintenance from Done HVAC
Preventative Maintenance
Let’s face it, some of us can barely operate the toaster, let alone a precision machine like an air conditioner. The most an inexperienced consumer should ever perform on their air conditioner is basic preventative maintenance. Depending on your level of comfort, this may include:
- Combing The Vent Fins
- Replacing The Air Filter
- Inspect The Evaporator Coil
- Inspect The Condensate Drain
Maintenance of this level should be relatively easy to handle and will only help improve regular performance. If your A/C is suffering from any serious problems, only a professional will be able to diagnose your unit.
Professional Service
If you find that your A/C seems to be struggling to keep up with your demands despite being well maintained, you should look into calling an expert. A professional technician is perfectly capable of performing any of the regular maintenance you’ve missed and the more technical work that it needs. In addition to basic maintenance procedures, your service technician should, at the very least:
- Calibrate Your Thermostat
- Inspect The Unit’s Electrical Contacts
- Lubricate Parts In Good Condition
- Cycle The System On And Off
- Check The Refrigerant Levels
These few inspections are generally enough to keep your A/C working and avoid costly breakdowns. However, Done provides a full 20-point inspection of your A/C that includes:
- Test Capacitors
- Calibrate the Thermostat
- Lubricate the Bearing
- Examine Safety Devices
- Examine the Fan’s Blade
- Flush the Condensate Drain
- Examine the Ducts
- Check the Condenser Coil
- Examine the Service Valves
- Test For Burnt Contacts
- Check For Exposed Wiring
- Examine Electrical Wiring Connections
- Examine the Operation Of the Compressor
- Monitor the Refrigerant’s Operating Pressures
- Calculate Supply/Return Temperature Differential
- Calculate the Blower Motor’s Amperage and Voltage
- Inspect The Electrical Disconnect Box Proper Installation
If you’re not sure what all of that means, don’t worry. You don’t have to know everything about your A/C because it is a professional’s job to ensure it is appropriately maintained.
Why Has Your A/C Maintained By A Professional?
We would all like to care for our repairs, but we have to leave some things to professionals. Unless you plan on joining an A/C repair school sometime soon, there is no way for you to take proper care of your air conditioner.
Not to mention that maintaining an air conditioner can be a dangerous job! Between all of the refrigerants, electrical wiring, and fans, there is no shortage of ways that you can hurt yourself.
Instead, it is best to leave most A/C maintenance to your local HVAC company. If you think hiring someone to maintain your A/C is a waste of money well, then think again! Not only will regular maintenance help prevent breakdowns, but an efficient A/C will also help you save on your utility bill. Altogether, you can be sure that maintaining your A/C, especially with Done, will only keep your money in the long run.
