It’s your responsibility to take care of the air conditioner. Unfortunately, air conditioning companies report that many homeowners do a number of things that hurt their units. Here are some of the things that you might be doing wrong:

You run your air conditioner with dirty air filters

While it might seem economical running your air conditioner without having to clean the air filters, you might be damaging your unit. When you keep the air filters running dirty you make the air conditioner work harder than it should.

This not only means that the unit uses a lot of energy thus spiking your energy bill at the end of the month, it also puts the unit at the risk of developing problems thus you have to repair it regularly.

Ac experts have also been able to show that poor air flow brought about by dirty air filters leads to freezing up of the unit’s evaporator coil.

For you to keep your unit functioning optimally you should clean the air filters at least once a month. The longest you should go without cleaning them is three months. You should note that sometimes you have to replace the air filters. Do this when the air filter is damaged or too dirty to clean.

You block airflow to the unit

Visit many homes and you will find furniture in front of the air conditioner. When you go outside, you will find the outdoor unit surrounded by trees and other materials. Is this the current situation with your air conditioner? You are doing injustice to it.

When you block the air conditioner, you prevent effective airflow thus the unit works harder than it should.

For you to keep the unit top condition you should get rid of any obstructions that might be near the air conditioner. This includes furniture, paintings, and any other thing. On the outside, get rid of trees growing close to the appliance.

The air conditioner tends to function more efficiently when it’s in a shaded area; therefore, you should place it under a tree or construct a shade for it.

You rarely service the unit

Just like your car or any appliance you might be having in your home, regular service is necessary to keep it in top working condition. When is the last time you serviced your unit? If it’s more than a year, you are slowly breaking your appliance.

At least once a year, you should hire an AC tune-up professional to inspect the unit and fix any issues that might be present. You should note that some contractors might bring about more problems than the unit has; therefore, you should take your time when hiring. As rule of thumb, ensure that you hire a highly experienced professional who will be able to identify even the most minor issues that the unit might be having.

You don’t clean the air conditioner

When many people hear about air conditioner cleaning, their mind only goes to air filter cleaning. While you should clean the air filter, you also need to pay attention to other parts of the air conditioner. When is the last time you cleaned your unit?

The cool thing is that you don’t need to clean the other air conditioner parts as frequently as the air filters. Cleaning them once a year is enough. At least once a year, open up your appliance and using a vacuum cleaner and brush, get rid of any dust and debris that may have accumulated on the unit.

When cleaning, pay attention to the condenser coils. You should note that they tend to bend easily; therefore, if you use a lot of pressure when cleaning, you risk bending or even breaking them.

If you don’t have the time or you aren’t confident in your skills, you should go ahead and hire AC repair companies Fairfax to help you with the cleaning.

The cool thing with hiring the contractors is that they not only help you with the cleaning, they also help you in the diagnosis of any issues that the unit might be having. As rule of thumb, you should fix the issues as soon as you notice them.