Air conditioner care & upkeep
KEVIN MCCLINTOCK GateHouse Plus

History of air conditioners

What would life be like without air conditioning? Here in North America, home air conditioners are virtually standard in all new homes and businesses, particularly those found in the South, Midwest, East Coast, the Great Lakes States and South-Eastern Canada. Even older houses and buildings, those not retro-fitted with central air units, often use window or through-wall units.

They aren't so prevalent in Europe. This primarily explains why there were so many deaths during the recent summer-long heat wave that saturated the European continent.

It's one of the perks in life, air conditioning, but it's turning out to be a life-saving perk, nonetheless.

So how can you maintain your AC unit to ensure it keeps the house cool? Simply, a combination of professional and homeowner maintenance for the AC unit will keep costs and energy use down.

Professional Care

All air conditioners and heat pumps require regular maintenance to perform at peak efficiency. Each central air conditioning unit should be inspected, cleaned and tuned by a professional once every two years. A professional tune-up commonly cost about $125.

During this time, technicians: + Measure the refrigerant to see if it needs recharging.

+ Measure the airflow over the air conditioner's cooling coils. Inadequate airflow is a common problem and correcting airflow rates can increase efficiency five to 10 percent.

+ Clean and inspect the motor, compressor, air handler, ducts, coils and air filter.

Homeowner Care

+ Clean or replace the AC filters monthly. Dirty

air filters cause the AC unit to work harder than necessary.

+ Keep the grass around the AC trimmed, being careful not to blow debris or grass clippings into the AC. Make sure landscaping does not block the outdoor air conditioner components.

+ Shade the outdoor AC unit. Air in a shaded space is typically 5 or 6 degrees cooler than the surrounding air.

+ Insulate ducts. Sealing ducts will save energy and money year round.

+ Clean off dirt buildup on the indoor and outdoor coils of the central AC system.

+ Recirculate air. It is far more economical to recirculate and cool the indoor air than to draw in hot air from outside, cool it down and remove the moisture in it.

+ Raise temperature settings. Each degree of temperature can represent up to nine percent savings or added expense in cooling costs.

+ Keep the unit fan on "AUTO." It's not necessary to run the fan constantly when the air conditioner is turned on.

+ Use ceiling fans. Moving air with ceiling fans can increase the comfort range.