Do Air Conditioners Need Annual Maintenance?

How often should you have your air conditioner serviced?

Schedule air conditioning inspection twice a year with a professional air conditioning service company. With two annual air conditioning inspections, an HVAC technician can catch any potential issues that might otherwise cause your air conditioner to stop working. 

What is involved in HVAC maintenance?

With a maintenance program, the twice-a-year air conditioning inspection should include the following items with an air conditioner inspection checklist something of this nature:

• Thermostat test
• Wiring check 
• Components and connections inspection
• Supply registers and return vents check
• Blockages cleaned 
• Air filter check and replace
• Drain line and drain pan check and flush
• Safety control test
• Condensate pump check
• Capacitors and contactors check and replace
• Condenser coil check
• Lines and coils inspection
• Compressor, condenser fan motor, and blower motor checks
• Refrigerant check and recharge, if needed
• Evaporator coil inspection
• Airflow test
• Ductwork inspection for air leaks and kinks

Does your AC need maintenance?

Because today’s air conditioning systems are highly sophisticated compared to the past, there is a greater chance that problems can arise in these sophisticated systems. That’s why, while they can provide years of reliable service, routine maintenance and upkeep are necessary. As mentioned, to keep your air conditioner working at peak level, air conditioner maintenance should be performed twice yearly. Many manufacturers will require regular professional maintenance to keep your warranty valid.

Air conditioning maintenance benefits

Air conditioner maintenance can benefit you in a variety of ways, especially if the maintenance technician follows a checklist as thorough as the one listed above.

Air conditioner maintenance is preventative maintenance. That means the checks that are made often will catch any potential problems that can cause your AC to break down at the worst time.

Most HVAC technicians estimate that 80% of the repairs they make could have been prevented if the AC they repaired had this type of preventative maintenance.

Here are some other benefits of maintenance:

• Improved performance: The AC will cool consistently throughout the home.
• Improved energy efficiency: When the AC performs at peak levels, the energy efficiency improves. You end up saving money on energy bills.
• Extended lifespan: Maintenance will add years to your AC’s life.
• Warranty maintained: Many manufacturers require maintenance to uphold warranties.
• Comfort maintained: You’ll stay comfortable when you need it most in every part of your home.
• Improved indoor air quality: Maintenance helps remove dust and other contaminants inside your home.

How often should you clean your AC coils?

While you should get preventative maintenance twice yearly for your whole air conditioner, you should keep one part–the coils–cleaned regularly. Your coils get dirtier easier and more often than other parts and it’s best to get them professionally cleaned about every three months. This will prevent any lasting damage to this essential part.

If you don’t clean your coils, it can make it harder for the AC unit to perform heat transfer. Your AC will end up running for a longer time, making it harder to cool your home. This adds to the wear and tear on parts and increases energy usage.

If your AC is running but not cooling, clogged and dirty coils could be the cause. This is just another reason to get the coils cleaned on a regular basis.

How often should mini-split ACs get serviced?

If you’re cooling your home with a mini-split AC, you still need to get it maintained regularly. With a mini-split system, you’re probably safe to get it serviced about once per year, preferably in the spring, just before heavy use in the summer.

How long does an AC unit last?

A quality air conditioning system that is professionally installed and well-maintained can have a lifespan of up to 15 years or longer. There are various factors that can affect the lifespan of an air conditioner, inspections being one of the key factors. Other factors include: 

• Air Filter: The air filter should be changed, or cleaned if yours are reusable, every 30 days at a minimum. This is the key factor that every homeowner can maintain that helps extend the life of your air conditioning.  
• Location: Where the air conditioning system is located is another important factor in the lifespan of the system. The coils and filter will get dirty faster in dry arid climates, thus needing cleaning and replacing more frequently. A humid climate will often create the need to change the thermostat more frequently.
• Operation: An air conditioning unit that operates 24/7/365 will have a shorter lifespan as this increases the wear and tear of the unit. If you need to keep your system running all day and night, every day you should schedule your air conditioner maintenance twice yearly and change your air filter twice every month. 
• Exterior Component: The component outside your home is just as important as the interior component. Don’t wait for your annual air conditioning inspection to have it checked. A visual check by you once a week to pull away any grass and weeds growing around it and remove any debris and trash that has blown against it. If the unit is exposed to sun all day, check out having a cover built over it that will protect it from the sun and other elements can help it run less, easing the strain on your energy bill.