3 Key Facts of Home AC Repair

by Kevin Smith Author

You may be familiar with the prospect of maintaining your home’s AC unit yourself. Having done some clean-up work over the years, you might think you could fix everything. That said, you also could be completely terrified of the prospect.

Even if you’ve never replaced the air filter, you don’t have to fear. Find out some important details about what home AC maintenance looks like and you can make a rational decision. After all, knowledge is power and if at the end of the da you’re still overwhelmed then at least you can confidently look to other solutions.

Some Precautions

At the center of any home maintenance repair is one overarching disclaimer. Be safe. Whatever you do, you want to make it’s safe to get started. Turn off the power to the unit. Make sure that the fan isn’t spinning. Only deal with frayed wires if you’re absolutely protected with rubber gloves and know what you’re doing. No amount of money is worth putting yourself in danger.

Spring Cleaning

Much of AC maintenance can be boiled down to keeping your unit clean. Debris can fall into the unit outside, filters can get dirty, and vents can be blocked. Once the unit is off the electrical grid, take a look into the unit and do your best to clean the unit. If you’re able to do this a few times a year, you can drastically reduce maintenance issues in the future.

Repair or Replace

If there’s some faulty machinery, you might be able to repair or jury rig some of the pieces back together. Considering all the moving parts in an AC unit (namely, the fan), you will want to be sure the unit is turned off before you start. You should be perfectly capable of mending the fan or ducts of an AC unit.

When all else fails, you can replace the parts of your AC unit. Don’t be afraid to admit that something is broken. You can save yourself a lot of time and money if all you must do is find a filter, new wire, or Trane coil replacement. The products will often have instructions included on how to remove and install, which should make the process much simpler.

Home AC maintenance is not for the fainthearted. In fact, just doing the research in how to get started can seem overwhelming for the inexperienced. If you take the necessary precautions, keep the unit cleaned, and identify the source of the problem, you can be confident in what you’re doing. In the worst-case scenario, you need to pick up a new filter or Trane coil replacement. Maintaining your AC unit can be done by anyone.