As we always say, your home is your haven. It is that one place where you come back at the end of each tiring day to forget all your troubles. It is your own personal place to relax and rejuvenate to take on the next day with full vigor. One crucial piece of equipment that adds to the comfort indoors is the central heating and cooling system or the HVAC system. Since it is machinery that often runs continuously for days, it needs special care to look after. Yet, there are times when it will falter and ask for that extra caring in the form of repairs.
At the onset of the summer season, one worry that you have each year is, “My AC should not break down at any cost.” It may not be possible to guarantee that because sometimes some things are just beyond our control. Nevertheless, you can still increase the chances of ensuring that the AC does not malfunction because of entirely avoidable reasons. We aim to arm you with four essential tips that will go a long way in keeping your AC running like a piece of well-oiled machinery.
4 Tips To Keep The AC Running
There are four main things about your cooling system that require special attention from time to time. These four things also happen to be those that are often the cause of a malfunction.
1. The Thermostat – Everybody knows that the thermostat is the communicating device between yourself and the cooling system. Usually, a thermostat is powered by batteries. Yet, we rarely ever take time out to see if there is any juice left in the current set. When they run low on charge or run out of it completely, the seamless communication with the HVAC system stops. As a result, the AC does not know when to switch on and start cooling.
The other problem with thermostats is programming the wrong settings. The thermostat conveys to the air conditioner the temperature that you have keyed in. If you have set your thermostat to heating or switched it off, there is no way your AC will cool the house. So, one needs to be extremely careful with the thermostat settings.
The last thing you need to check is the connections. When you take off the thermostat’s cover and see hanging wires, call your local HVAC technician.
2. The Air Filters – Yes, we are back to harping about the importance of clean air filters, and there is no exception to it. The root of most AC problems lies in dirty or clogged air filters. Think of your AC as the lungs of your house. The lungs can only do the job if they get ample air. Dirty air filters restrict the airflow and make it sluggish. When that happens, your AC cannot breathe in air in the quantity that it needs. Less air to the cooling system means less air out of it. With restricted airflow, problems will crop one after the other. For instance:
1. The air conditioner will start operating under stress.
2. Working under stress will cause overheating and melting of components.
3. The output of the air conditioner will show a marked decrease.
4. The efficiency of the unit will also suffer a setback, and the power bills will increase.
5. Ultimately, your AC might just go belly up because you failed to replace its air filters timely.
Typically, one should change the air filters once a month. Yes, we know that your next concern would most likely be, “What if the filters are not dirty even after a month”? If that is the case, you can change them once a quarter or sooner if needed.
3. Vents And Registers – Vents and registers are a vital part of the airflow or ventilation system. They allow the air conditioner to breathe in untreated air and send out cooled treated air into the rooms. Blocking the vents and registers will mean:
1. Either the AC is not getting sufficient air.
2. Or the pressure of treated air is increasing in the ducts as it is unable to find free passage into your living space.
You should never intentionally close or block the vents and registers. If you think that it will save energy, sadly, you are wrong. It will only cause damage to the unit as well as the ductwork. What you need is zoning.
Closing the vents or registers is not always intentional. Sometimes it happens by mistake, for example, when you move the furniture around. Chances are you might place something directly in front of one or both. Therefore, be careful while changing the layout of things in your ho
4. Circuit-Breakers – Circuit breakers are a safety mechanism to protect your equipment and property from electrical fires. Whenever there is a power surge or a short circuit, the circuit breaker trips. When it trips, the power supply to the equipment is cut, and so it stops working. It does not mean your AC has developed a fault. Instead, it means that there is no electrical supply to power it on.
Putting the circuit breaker to rights is a simple matter of pushing the tripped lever back to the “On” position. Doing that will resume the supply of electricity, and the AC will start working. Therefore, what you thought to be a malfunction was a simple interruption.
The Core Of The Matter
Whenever it comes to your AC, the main thing to do is not to jump to conclusions. Yes, you cannot solve all the problems. Still, one can ensure that you don’t call the technician unnecessarily for things that can well be taken care of yourself. Always check the status of the air filters, thermostat, vents, and circuit breaker before calling the experts.
In the event that your AC malfunctions or you suspect something is wrong, the residents of West Palm Beach can call the air experts at Aztil Air Conditioning. We pride ourselves on providing prompt service and complete resolution of the problem at an affordable rate. In addition to residential and commercial HVAC repairs, we also tackle their replacement and maintenance. Our offices are manned 24/7, so there is no need to suffer through an HVAC emergency. To book an appointment, call us at any time at +1-888-729-8452.
