As homeowners, we want to keep our every appliance that we have at its peak performance. We also want these appliances to work more economically and be more dependable for years to come.
And out of all appliances we have at home, the indoor unit of our air conditioning unit is always the one given the attention when it comes to maintenance procedures. It is a common knowledge to regularly clean or replace the filter, check the blades if everything is working well, and look for debris that may get inside the unit. While looking after the indoor unit is very important, one should not leave the outside unit unattended.
Watkins AC repair gives us a friendly reminder: if you want to save money the outdoor unit is as important as the indoor one and neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases.
Here's a way on how to keep your air conditioner as efficient as possible: Don't crowd the condenser unit. Since it is commonly located outside, you might have it placed beside your garden. And over time, the bushes and scrubs will definitely get bigger and it will constrain the air flow. Additionally, some owners build something to hide the outside units or to give shade to the units. But the truth is, it can damage your A/C!
To make it clearer, all the heat that was picked up in your room goes to the condensing coil to be dumped outside. The air condition's role is to remove heat by letting an amount of air flow over the said coil. If less air can go through the coil, the less heat can go outside. And that will mean that the engine of you're A/C will have to work harder to centralize your air.
If you allow that to happen, it can lead to only two things: first, your electricity bill will significantly increase and second, your A/C will provide you more interrupted services for years so you will have to spend more time, money, energy for repairs or even for a replacement.
Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid the air blockage on your condensing units. To condition the air, a cycle has to begin. The heat from your room will be absorbed by the refrigerant, that is why the refrigerant usually gets hot at first. After that, the heat from the house will then be exhausted outside your closed space, and your space will get cold. If this cycle is disrupted a problem may occur.
The most familiar reason why the A/C get clogged are those plants growing near the unit. Dirt and plants may accumulate around the condenser and may clog leading to a limited air flow. This can be easily avoided by regularly trimming the plants around it and tidying up the place. Dirt that can gather between the fins of the condensing unit will also bear the same negative result to the airflow. Also, hiding or covering the outside unit is not actually a bad idea if you put enough clearance to give the outside unit a room to breathe.
It is also a good idea to have it checked regularly during your annual maintenance. Even if you are doing your best to keep plants away from it, it may still need maintenance once in a while, preferably before summer because you do not want to have a malfunctioning A/C during a hot and humid day. The HVAC expert should check and clean the coils if necessary. But sometimes, these 'so-called' experts can actually cause the problems. There are instances that they put a number of condenser too close to each other, making them fight for air when they are all running altogether. So to avoid this, make sure you select the best and reliable HVAC expert in town, and ask them for a HVAC service price list you can peruse.
To conclude, do not let anything that will bother the airflow like dirt, plants, shrubs, dried leaves, walls, another condenser unit, or others to go near your unit. Remember, regular maintenance of not only the inside but also the outside unit of your air-conditioning system should be taken proactively. If you wish to ensure optimum usage of energy and enjoy cool temperature uninterruptedly, let your air conditioner breathe, too.