Summer will be here before too long, and most homeowners in the area have already started to run their air conditioners on a regular basis. That use is only going to increase as temperatures rise, with an attendant rise in the stress and strain on the system itself.
One of the best ways to curtail that strain—and the costs involved—is to schedule air conditioning maintenance once each spring, before the weather gets too hot. It pays dividends over the long hot summer, and when applied over time, the number of benefits only increase. Here is a quick breakdown on how it all works.
What IS Air Conditioning Maintenance?
Air conditioning maintenance is a sort of tune-up for the air conditioner: giving a trained expert a chance to look the system over and see what its status is. In general terms, that means two basic things:
- Correcting little problems that don’t warrant a repair call in and of themselves. That includes things like loose bolts, frayed wires, dusty components, leaking refrigerant, and clogged filters. In and of themselves, they’re not especially damaging, but they rob the air conditioner of efficiency and force it to work much harder to do its job. Maintenance is designed to address them while they’re still small, before they cost you in preventable repairs.
- Examining the system for any signs that a larger problem may be lurking: something that doesn’t affect the system now, but could result in a breakdown later on.
What Kind of Benefits?
The benefits of regular air conditioning maintenance are subtle, but can be felt as time goes on.
In the first place, they help the air conditioner perform more efficiently: reducing wear and tear and eliminating little drags on the system’s ability to do its job. Suppose, for example, that the air conditioner has a loose bolt connecting a key component to the system. As long as that bolt remains loose, the component is going to rattle in its housing, increasing wear and tear exponentially and cutting down on its ability to do its job. This will translate into higher bills and increased chances of a breakdown as the worn part finally succumbs. A simple correction can spare the system that, resulting in lower monthly bills overall.
Furthermore, if the technician spots the signs of a more serious problem, it allows the homeowner to address that before it gets out of hand. Repairs can be scheduled at leisure, without having to shuffle any busy schedules, and in most cases the repairs cost less since the problem has had less time to cause any damage.
Finally, when applied over time, regular maintenance cuts down on the wear and tear associated with regular air conditioner use. That helps the system last for much longer than it would without maintenance: extending its lifespan by months or even years in some cases and delaying the moment when the homeowner needs to have it replaced.
To schedule air conditioning maintenance in the Scarsdale, NY area, call Yost & Campbell Heating, Cooling & Generators today!