How Often Should an A/C Be Serviced?

Not getting your A/C serviced can cause your system to have a variety of problems, many of which only get worse over time.

An A/C that has never been or has rarely been serviced will often have one or more of the problems listed below:

Slow or no cooling. Over time, A/C systems can develop leaks and release refrigerant into the air.

Not only is refrigerant expensive to replace, but it also can harm the environment. A/C systems that are low on refrigerant don’t cool very well if at all.

Clogs and flooding. Air conditioners not only cool the air in your home, but they are also dehumidifiers which means that they remove water from the air inside your house.

Because of this, A/Cs need to drain several gallons of water a day. If your A/C systems drain is plugged, flooding and water damage can result.Fan failure.

A/C systems use fans to add cool air to buildings. Because fans are moving parts, they are more likely to wear out than non-moving parts. If fans aren’t checked regularly, they can fail when you need them the most.

Clogged filters. All A/C systems have air filters. Some systems have filters that only need to be changed once a year while others have filters that may need to be changed monthly.

A dirty filter stops air from moving through your system which can damage your cooling equipment and cause freeze-ups.

Generally, it takes 10 to 15 years before an A/Cs performance starts to drop.

If your A/C unit is starting to show its age, now is a great time to start shopping for a new and more efficient model.

Common steps in a maintenance visit include:

Checking and replacing dirty air filters.

Measuring refrigerant levels, stopping leaks, and adding more refrigerant if necessary

Cleaning out debris from around the air conditioner

Cleaning dirty A/C coil and fins

Testing A/C fans, motors, and compressors

Checking vents to make sure they are open and clear

Making recommendations about parts that need to be replaced

Advising when it’s time for new cooling equipment

Because all A/C systems aren’t the same, finding a certified HVAC technician that has experience servicing your model is also important. Contact Randy’s Mechanical, Inc. today to discuss the kind of A/C unit you have and how it needs to be maintained.

Yes! Rinsing out the cooling coil and fins on your A/C system helps it dissipate the heat it removes from inside your home.

Here’s how it works: The refrigerant inside your A/C system absorbs the heat inside your house, carries it outside, and releases it back into the atmosphere via your outdoor condensing unit.

When your outdoor condensing unit’s coil and fins are plugged with dirt and grime the refrigerant can’t release the heat it is carrying very efficiently.

This causes your equipment to run longer and work harder which causes it to fail more often and ultimately shortens its life.

The best time to have your A/C serviced is in the late spring or early summer when the outside temperature is above 70°. We recommend you wait if the outside temperature is below 70°.