Maintaining Your Air Conditioner

Air conditioning San Diego may be tough as the summer becomes hotter and even drier than the last, that’s why it’s essential to keep up with your air conditioner’s maintenance. August and September are San Diego’s hottest months and with the El Nino we keep hearing about still nowhere in sight, you’ll need to make sure your air conditioner is maintained and working efficiently.

What causes an air conditioner to break down?

Air conditioner’s often see bad use, whether we realize it or not. If you run your air conditioner and keep some of the windows open, which oddly enough, people do, then you’re potentially ruining its temperature system. This is because many temperatures have a feature where it turns off when the room hits a certain temperature. By keeping some hot air inside and “confusing” the temperature, you’re improperly operating your equipment and can cause it to break down sooner rather than way later. This happens a lot in communities such as Escondido, Poway, Ramona, Lakeside and El Cajon. The communities in east and north county San Diego get more of the extreme weather conditions and therefore the systems get more use.

Air conditioner filters also play a huge part in its maintenance. In order to keep up with the “newness” of an air conditioner, you must routinely clean the filters of the air conditioner. When your filter is too dirty, you decrease the airflow. If this happens, your air conditioner thinks it’s still hot and will kick into over drive; then, your room will stay warm. Many people don’t think about these kinds of things, but it adds up and decreases the amount you can get out of an air conditioner.

By not maintaining your air conditioner, you’ll waste money on another air conditioner, and end up improperly taking care of that one as well. This leads to people believing that the more money you spend, the better the air conditioner will be when this is simply not true. Great care goes a long way.

Can I hire someone to maintain my air conditioner?

If you’re too busy or don’t know what you’re doing, there are HVAC professionals San Diego that can take a look at your cooling system. There are many things that could be checked, depending on the type of air conditioner you have installed. Some of these things may include:

• Air conditioning refrigerant – It’s important to find a technician who is certified to handle these types of gases.

• Refrigerant leaks – Like a car, you’re A/C could leak refrigerant and needs upkeep

• Airflow measurement

• Temperature accuracy through the built-in thermostat

There are many other items on the air conditioning checklist such as heat pump maintenance and condenser servicing. Even though an air conditioner is a common luxury, there are many things to service.

If you live somewhere as hot as Fallbrook, San Marcos or Chula Vista and you’re looking to use an air conditioner about 75% of the time, it’s extremely important to maintain the perfect air conditioning performance. If you can’t, there’s someone that is a trained professional who can. Even though winters in California aren’t as brutal, there are some nights that are significantly colder and it’s also important to be aware of how to prepare and use your air conditioner in such weather changes. This could be anything from completely turning off the air conditioner to making sure the seal stays in contact with the window frame so moisture from the air doesn’t seep in. We hope some of these tips and bits of information have helped you learn more about maintaining your air conditioning!