2 Tips That Can Help You Keep Your Air Conditioner In Good Shape

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One of the risks that summer brings is that your air conditioner will be put under so much strain due to the heat that it will begin to fail or die completely, which can often result in a very expensive repair bill. In some cases, the strain could cause enough damage to the air conditioner that you will have to replace it entirely. Listed below are two things that you can do to keep your air conditioner in good shape throughout the summer.

Clean The Air Filter

One area of air conditioner maintenance that many people seem to ignore is cleaning out the air filter. The air filter is essential to the proper functioning of your air conditioner as it keeps allergens and debris from being sucked into the air conditioner through the air intake vent. When the air filter becomes too dirty, the flow of air into the air conditioner will be restricted, which will cause less cool air to flow into the house. 

This will result in your air conditioner having to stay on much longer to reach the temperature that you set via your thermostat while also putting a lot of strain on the air conditioner's motor. Another issue that will come up is that the air conditioner will begin pulling in more dirt and allergens through the dirty air filter and spread them throughout the house.

With a window-mounted unit, the filter will typically be located on the front of the unit. If you have a central air system, the air filter will usually be located near your furnace and will appear to be a large rectangular vent. In both cases, you can easily clean the filter by simply using your vacuum cleaner's hose attachment. 

Limit Sunlight 

Another way to keep your air conditioner in good shape over the course of the summer is to do everything that you can to reduce its workload. The easiest way to do this is to limit the amount of sunlight that you let into your home, mostly because sunlight shining in through your windows can easily cause the temperatures within the house to rise several degrees. 

One way to limit sunlight from entering the home is to invest in light-blocking solar screens. These screens can either be used to take the place of your current window screens or be attached over the window from within your home. These screens can provide the same insect-blocking capability of your normal screen while also being able to block out a substantial amount of sunlight, which will keep your home cooler and allow you to keep the air conditioner off for longer periods. 

Contact an HVAC contractor today in order to discuss the various ways to keep your air conditioner in good shape all summer. Cleaning the air conditioner's air filter and limiting the amount of sunlight that enters your home are both great ways to keep your air conditioner operating efficiently and limit the amount of strain that it experiences. 

For more information, contact professionals like Getzschman Heating, LLC.


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