Do you know how to look after your Air Con?

Overview

If you have an air conditioner unit in your home, then you must ensure it’s in perfect working

order for the upcoming summer months. You don’t want to be left with no cooling system during a hot Australian summer!

Consequently, we recommend that you service your ducted heating and cooling system in

November. After all, it’s probably been constantly running since about May, keeping you warm during Autumn/Winter. Plus, the windows were closed a lot for winter, so all the dust in your house gets drawn to the filter, clogging up the system.

On that note, we’ve put together some air conditioner maintenance advice that you should

definitely follow:

Clean the dust filter

The best place to start is with your dust filter. All air conditioning and heating units have one, and it helps prevent dust from entering the ducts and causing problems with the system. As we just said, there will be a massive build-up of dust over the winter months. When your windows are closed, there’s nowhere for the dust to escape. So, it finds its way into your heating & cooling system.

As a result, the dust filter will be filthy! Huge clumps of dust will clog it up, meaning it fails to do its job correctly. When this happens, it also means that dust ends up blowing out of the unit and around your home! So, sort this out by using a vacuum cleaner to suck up as much dust as possible. Once you’ve done this, wash the filter in warm water, so it’s good as new.

If the filter is too dirty, then you might have to swap it out for a brand new one.

Remove any obstructions near the unit

The outdoor part of your unit needs to be kept clear of any obstructions and debris. So, don’t put loads of plants or boxes near it, keep your rubbish away, and make sure it’s free from anything else.

Why? Because obstructions will interfere with the air conditioner’s performance. When things are surrounding it, they block out the airflow to and from the unit. As a consequence, this decreases the system capacity, reducing the overall airflow. So, your unit won’t be efficient as you’ll have to turn up the power to try and get a decent flow of air out of it.

Try to avoid placing things around the unit, and pay attention to any possible obstructions that can form naturally. We’re talking about cobwebs clogging up the vents, dirt and grime building up, weeds/plants growing around it, and so on. It’s worth giving the outside unit a wipe down every week to be sure that nothing is obstructing the airflow.

Service your air conditioner every two years

If you’ve had your air conditioner for two years, then it’s time for a servicing. Call up a professional air conditioning service company to handle this for you. They will inspect your entire unit, basically providing an audit of sorts. You’ll see what’s wrong with your unit, what isn’t working properly, and what you can do to improve it. Usually, they carry out any repairs as well, so you restore your unit to its perfect condition.

Servicing is recommended every second year because it prevents severe issues from arising. A licenced air conditioning technician can spot little problems and iron them out before they become massive problems. If you leave longer than two years between service checks, then who knows what can go wrong with your unit? Specific parts may break, and a problem could arise that means you need the whole thing to be replaced. Don’t take any risks; call a licenced technician to provide professional servicing.

That really is a crucial point; they must be licenced and professional. You can’t service your unit yourself as you don’t know what you’re looking for. Technicians follow protocols to ensure they cover every element of your air conditioner, providing a more thorough service.

Play around with the programming settings

Check your unit to see what programming settings are available. More often than not, you’ll find some sort of timer setting. Here, you can set your air conditioning to only turn on at specific times. This stops you from keeping the unit on for too long, reducing energy use.

For example, what if you turn the unit on in the morning, then forget about it? You might leave the house, and it could be 12 hours before you remember to turn it off again. With a timer, it will automatically go off at a set time. You can leave, and if you forget to turn it off, it will do it for you!

Look at the different settings on your unit too, some may have energy-saving ones built into them. It’s worth playing around with various configurations so you can make the unit more efficient and stop wasting energy all the time.

Be careful with your temperature settings

Similarly, think about the temperature that you set your unit to. It can be really tempting to set it overly high in the winter, so you’re kept very warm. Likewise, many people like to set the temperature too low in the summer because they need some extra coolness. This is sometimes necessary - on really hot or cold days - but do you really need to set these crazy temperatures all the time? Most of the time, you can make do with a more neutral temperature.

We recommend setting a temperature of around 20 degrees in the winter and summer if you want a comfortable climate. Then, on the super hot or cold days, you can increase or lower it. By keeping the temperature around this level, you will dramatically reduce the running costs while preventing your system from overworking. There you have it, those are our top tips to help with air conditioner maintenance. It’s worth looking at your unit and getting everything sorted before the summer season is in full flow. This way, you can ensure all parts are working correctly and that your air conditioner is ready to cope with the summer heat.

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