Top 5 Tips for Air Conditioning Maintenance

Read below to learn about the five most frequent causes of air conditioning problems.

Most air conditioning problems don’t present themselves as obviously as a condensing unit laying on its side. Instead, it takes time to check out key areas of the air conditioning system to rule in or rule out factors causing a “no cooling” call.

The five most frequent causes of air conditioning problems that we have found are:

1. Dirty filter – a dirty filter can restrict the system’s air flow, causing the indoor coil to ice up, further causing even less airflow; or, long-term, causing dirt to accumulate on the indoor coil and causing the same restrictive airflow.
2. Dirty outdoor coil – dirt, grass, and cottonwood seeds can restrict the amount of air going through your outdoor unit effecting its efficiency, or, worse yet, its ability to cool. Vines, shrubs, and plants too close to your outdoor unit can have the same effect.
3. Refrigerant under charge – call it refrigerant or Freon, but when your cooling system is undercharged by just 10%, it decreases your system’s efficiency by 20%! A 20% undercharge results in a 52% drop in your system's cooling capacity! A study by Texas A&M suggests that 90% of systems are mischarged by 10%, while the Department of Energy says 74% of systems are mischarged by 20%.
4. Electrical component fails – typically, this would be a contactor, capacitor or transformer that would fail due to age, power surges, or just wear and tear from short cycling.
5. Condensate drain – when this is blocked and dripping on components, it can cause them to short out. Or, if the water from the blocked condensate overflows, it can trip an overflow safety switch placed in the system to protect against water damage.

While many of these problems can lead to decreased comfort (not enough cooling and higher humidity levels in your home), they can also lead to decreased efficiencies, higher electric bills, and possibly an emergency service call to your HVAC contractor.

Most of these problems can be avoided with routine maintenance. Change your 1” filter monthly or your higher efficiency 5” filter every 3-6 months, trim plants and shrubs away from your outdoor unit as needed, and pour a little vinegar into your condensate trap, at the cleanout tee, to avoid gunk buildup blocking the free flow of water through your condensate pipe.

For anything major like issues pertaining to your unit's electrical, refrigerant, or failed components, call your state licensed, NATE-certified HVAC contractor for a repair and see if they offer annual maintenance agreements to have everything taken care of at one time.