This year did you skip your AC maintenance? Do be honest, as we are not here to judge you. Instead, we intend to help you understand the gravity of your mistake. You are not alone in skipping the tune-up schedule. There are many more in the same boat.
We understand the main reason you decided against maintenance is probably that your heating and air conditioning unit is working fine, so it just seemed like a waste of time and money. Well, you’ve been sheer luck, is all we can say.
AC Maintenance Is An Important Activity
If you diligently take care of your car, then why not AC? Both are machines, and if we see in terms of run time, your AC runs longer than your car. Yet, you take your car for annual servicing and inspections but fail to observe the same courtesy for the AC. The point to be noted is that you don’t even have to take the AC to the service center. The HVAC technician will come home and handle everything.
Do keep in mind that all machines that run for long hours and sometimes even endlessly need a tune-up from time to time. It keeps them in good working order and prevents unwarranted breakdowns. The more regularly it is done, the better it is for the efficiency and life expectancy of the machine. Therefore, AC maintenance is critical to the well-being of the cooling system and your comfort.
Consequences Of Skipping AC Maintenance
Your cooling system may have normally been operating without any trouble, so far, so good. But this is only your perception. The trouble is brewing. It’s just that you have not paid attention to it, or things have not yet come to a head. To clarify things better, let’s divide the consequences of skipping AC maintenance into two categories:
1. Short Term Consequences
1. Uneven Cooling – We all tend to spend most of our indoor time in one or two rooms. As long as they are at the perfect temperature, everything seems okay. Nonetheless, if you pay attention, you will realize that every room is not equally cool. Some rooms may be frigid and others warm. You may also notice nowadays, you have to lower the temperature further on the thermostat to get the same cooling effect as before. The point is that the components of the AC are no longer working per their usual norm. They are either slowing down or failing slowly and steadily.
2. Short Cycling – As long as your AC is cooling your indoor space, you probably will not pay attention to the fact that it is short cycling more often than before. Frequent short cycling is a sign of the unit operating under strain, and it will lead to compressor problems. The only time you will realize that trouble is brewing in paradise is when the humidity starts getting to you. If you are lucky, minor repairs may still salvage the situation, but the chances are that your air conditioner might need expensive overhauling to nullify the damage caused by ignoring annual preventive maintenance.
3. High Monthly Power Bills – If you don’t pay much attention to your monthly power bills, you may fail to notice that there is a steady increase in them, month after month. It may not make much of an impression because the increase is not substantive. Nevertheless, if you compare it to your last year’s bills, the glaring jump will become evident. Uneven cooling, frequent short-cycling, failing components, etc., force the cooling unit to work harder. It has to run longer to produce the same results. Consequently, the power consumption increases, and so do the power bills.
4. Frequent Breakdowns – A cooling system whose parts are steadily deteriorating due to lack of care will suffer from frequent breakdowns. Initially, the repair costs will be low, it will become increasingly expensive to keep it in working order as the unit falls into disrepair.
2. Long Term Consequences
1. Lost Efficiency – Every year, your air conditioner unit drops inefficiency. But with maintenance, you can reclaim a large portion of it. If you continue to skip on the tune-up, the efficiency will only decline more and more. There will come a time when the AC will no longer deliver on its promise of efficiency. By the time you realize the mistake, it will be too late to do anything other than replacing it.
2. Increase In Wear And Tear – The AC consists of several components. Continuous use leads to the wear and tear of these parts. They need care in the form of cleaning, oiling, greasing, tightening, etc. If these are skipped year after year, the wear and tear will increase. Remember, not all components can be replaced, and some that can be are expensive. The longer you wait or put off the AC maintenance, the more you will have to spend in warding off the ill effects of wear and tear.
3. Complete System Dies – When problems pile one on top of the other, and you throw massive damage due to corrosion and wear and tear into the mix, it’s a perfect recipe for disaster. So what is the worst that could happen? Well, the worst is that your cooling system either dies or fries. Any way you see it, you got a dead unit on your hands.
Don’t Skip AC Maintenance
The whole point of this post was to stress the need for AC maintenance. Next time when the temptation to overlook it is high, remind yourself of all these reasons. Once you start on this regime, the difference will be hard to ignore. You will be more comfortable, and your air conditioner will thank you.
Aztil Air Conditioning in West Palm Beach, Florida, offers HVAC installation, repairs, and maintenance along with air quality solutions and duct cleaning. Our extensive suite of services is pocket-friendly and caters to all brands and makes of heating and cooling systems. We handle both commercial and residential equipment and work at your convenience. To book an appointment or schedule maintenance, give us a call at +1-888-729-8452.
