Skip to main content

How to Maintain Your Central Air Conditioning Unit

Central air is essential during hot summers, especially in tropical or southern locales like the Greater Tampa and Brandon Florida area. Most of us expect a unit to work when it is installed, and to keep working indefinitely, summer after scorching summer. But there is some everyday maintenance that is required. Keep your unit in peak condition, and your energy bills down, with these tips.

  1. Keep Your Outdoor Unit Clear

Plants don’t know to magically stay away from your unit, so you must teach them the hard way. Trim shrubs, tree branches, and other plants. Keep the grass at a short length near the unit. Clear any other debris that might accumulate. Keep all debris and vegetation at least two feet away from the unit.

  1. Clean Filters, Coils, Fins, and Drains

Filters need to be cleaned or replaced regularly. Clogged or dirty filters can block airflow and impact your system’s efficiency. This could lead to dirt being carried to the evaporator coil, which will reduce the coil’s heat-absorbing capacity. All things considered, replacing a clogged filter can lower your system’s energy consumption by five to fifteen percent. This should be done about every month or two during the summer.

Coils also need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Evaporator coils and condenser coils collect dirt over time. A clean filter can help reduce this, but evaporator coils will likely still accumulate dirt. This will restrict airflow, insulate the coil, and impair its ability to absorb heat. Condenser coils collect dirt from nearby foliage and outdoor dust. Evaporator coils should be inspected and cleaned annually, and the area around the condenser coils should be cleaned regularly. Trimming plants and clearing debris will help with this.

Coil fins are the aluminum fins on the evaporator and condenser coils. They can bend easily and block airflow through the coil. A “fin comb,” available from air conditioning wholesalers, will restore the fins to their original condition.

Finally, clogged drain channels can prevent your system from reducing humidity. You can check for this by occasionally passing a stiff wire through the drain channels.

  1. Call a Professional

You should have a licensed technician conduct a full inspection once a year. This inspection should include:

  • Cleaning and flushing condenser coils
  • Draining the pan and drainage system
  • Vacuuming blower compartments
  • Checking mechanical parts
  • Checking refrigerant levels and test for leaks
  • Measuring airflow through evaporator coils
  • Inspecting electric terminals
  • Checking motors and belts for wear
  • Checking the accuracy of the thermostat

 

The Right Professionals for the Job

When you want or need a certified and licensed HVAC Contractor, the best professionals to help you with this are AirTime Air Conditioning and Heating. Their Brandon facility is located in Valrico, Florida. They can help you with all your A/C inspection and repair needs. AirTime Brandon offers speedy flat-rate service calls, emergency A/C repairs, replacement systems (including installation and maintenance), with sales and support for leading brands such as Trane, Carrier, and others. If repairs are needed on a service call, the cost of the service call will be waived for you. We also offer 24/7 emergency service. Contact AirTime Brandon today at (813) 501-6633.

AirTime Brandon
110 N Mulrennan Rd
Valrico FL 33594-3446
Phone: (813) 501-6633

The following blog post was originally published on How to Maintain Your Central Air Conditioning Unit and is courtesy of AirTime Air Conditioning. Read more on: http://ift.tt/2h5qD9q

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Tips to Avoid Costly Air Conditioning & Heating System Maintenance and Repairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 28, 2017 (Tampa, FL) —- As the Florida winter starts to make its appearance in the weather patterns, many Central Florida area residents will start to consider using the HVAC system to generate heat, especially at night, when the temperatures start to drop below comfort levels into the 50’s and below. Residential homeowners who have not had their heating and air conditioning system maintained since the summer face a much higher risk for costly, avoidable HVAC system repairs without applying some simple maintenance best practices. Of course, hiring a certified and licensed HVAC company like AirTime Air Conditioning & Heating is highly recommended to ensure that your investment in your home’s AC and heating system is maximized in terms of system efficiency and longevity. Here are three critical pro tips to ensuring that you get the most from your air conditioning and heating system and put yourself in place to avoid costly downtime and repairs: Ch...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brandon Air Conditioning Company Celebrates Local Roots, Expands Service Areas

AirTime Air Conditioning and Heating opened its doors in Tampa, FL back in 2011 and moved to its current location in Valrico, FL in 2013. Like all entrepreneurs, Reddy and Barbara Gonzalez, co-founders of AirTime, had a dream to use their skills to build a business for their family and take advantage of the opportunities Americans have to grow a business as big as one can dream. Today, six years later and under Mr. Gonzalez’s leadership, AirTime has a fleet of vehicles manned by N.A.T.E and EPA certified HVAC repair technicians serving the six county region of West Central Florida made up of Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties. With a large full-time staff working out of its primary corporate location at 110 N Mulrennan Rd, Valrico, FL 33594, AirTime Air Conditioning and Heating dispatches its fleet of vehicles and AC repair technicians throughout the region 24/7 to serve customers with  emergency ac repair  needs, regular ac tune up and mainte...
Post a Comment
Read more