As the weather changes to summer or winter, your air conditioning and heating system are working hard to maintain temperatures to your liking. A cooler home in the summer or a warm house in the cold season is one of the essential comforts you enjoy from your system. But as with many machines, they may be affected by common mistakes that you can avoid. These mistakes may cause harm to your system, making you incur expensive repairs in the long run.
You wouldn’t want your air conditioner breaking down in the middle of a hot and humid summer day. So, for you to enjoy your air conditioning and heating system, you can avoid making the following mistakes to prolong its life:
1. Lack Of Annual Maintenance
Your AC system ensures the surroundings of your home are perfect all year long, making it a valuable investment. But like any machine, it needs frequent maintenance to ensure its long life. Therefore, you should contact a professional to perform routine checks on your air conditioning and heating system. These services include but aren’t limited to:
- Checking for airflow in the evaporator coil to ensure it still absorbs heat from the environment. Airflow will prevent the evaporator from becoming cold and developing an ice layer, which may lead to the failure of your system.
- Cleaning the condenser coils to prevent the accumulation of dirt and grime. Cleaning it will prevent your system from getting wear and tear due to overworking.
- Checking for fan problems that may cause poor airflow over the evaporator coil and the condenser, causing the failure and death of your entire system.
- Ensuring your thermostat is calibrated correctly to avoid errors that occur over time.
- Cleaning clogged drains may cause water leakages that can damage your walls and finishing, thus ending up with mold growth.
2. Forsaking Filter Changes
Air conditioners have a filter that traps dust, dirt, and other particles that may cause harm to your system. The trapped particles won’t circulate back into your house, thanks to the air filter.
But at times, people forget to change their filters, with most not knowing where to locate them. So, if you have a system with both heating and cooling, your filter will be near the blower system. You can also look for a metal panel labeled ‘filter’ that you may find in the return air duct of your heating system.
The following may happen if you don’t change your filter:
- Moisture and mold contamination may occur in High Energy Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. Moisture may lead to severe mold infestations that may cause sicknesses such as allergies.
- Buildup blower fans will slow down your air filter’s ability to stop contaminants from getting into your AC. These contaminants will make your system use more power due to restricted airflow, making it less energy efficient.
- Wear and tear will affect your system due to dust that makes it slow down and draw more power. With damaged parts, you’ll have to replace your AC or most parts, which can get expensive.
3. Overworking Your Air Conditioner And Heating
You can reduce overworking your AC by closing your vents partway in unoccupied rooms. However, you should avoid closing more than 20-30% of your ducts to prevent creating a pressure differential that’ll affect your temperature.
In addition, closing too many vents will force heated or cooled air out, thus reducing the chances of air getting to the suitable rooms. These situations will make your air conditioner work harder, costing more.
Below are some signs that you may be overworking your AC:
- If the system fails to cool all rooms in your house, its performance might be dropping.
- Once you start hearing screeching noises, you should consider lubricating motor bearings for every moving part. In addition, if you notice odor and liquid coming out of your system, you should consider getting a professional to check for mold.
- If your electricity bill skyrockets, it may be due to declining performance by your system. Your system may be struggling to keep up with the demand.
Bottom Line
When it comes to air conditioners and heating systems, you should get the best service out of them. And with some air conditioners lasting up to fifteen years, a poorly maintained system may break down around five to ten years.
These breakdowns are due to some common mistakes you unknowingly make that eventually hurt your system. Therefore, discussed in this article is the three crucial errors that you may be making and affecting your system.
