As the weather warms up around Hudson, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your air conditioner for the summer. Before the hot weather settles into the area, there’s some attention your system needs to serve your home efficiently and reliably. Consider these six reasons why scheduling your spring AC maintenance is essential.

1. Improve Energy Efficiency

The number one reason people schedule spring AC maintenance is to keep their system operating at the highest possible efficiency. Lower efficiency causes longer cooling cycles, driving up the cost of cooling your home.

As your system runs, some things naturally detract from your system’s efficiency if left neglected. Among other things, this includes airborne contaminants your air filter didn’t catch, loose electrical connections, and components that are no longer performing optimally.

2. Reduce Operational Wear

There are two factors that cause your system to wear more when it isn’t maintained annually. The first is the longer cooling cycles we just mentioned. Think about components in your system as having a limited number of operational hours that they will work properly. If your system runs longer cooling cycles, it’s using more of those operational hours per cycle, so you’ll get fewer cycles. A little neglected efficiency for a short time won’t have a noticeable impact. However, let it go long enough, and you’ll start significantly impacting performance.

The other factor of lower efficiency is the insufficient heat transfer happening during each cycle. When the system is running less efficiently, that means that it isn’t absorbing as much heat, in part because there may be less air moving through the system. This can lead to issues like a frozen evaporator coil and can also strain the compressor as it works to achieve the proper pressure in the condensing coil.

3. Extend Service Life

Industry averages show that an air conditioner should last between 10 and 15 years. However, that assumes you get annual maintenance. The reduced efficiency and increased wear on various system components that occur with neglected maintenance may cut time from that service life.

The compressor is a component that commonly experiences excessive wear with neglected maintenance. When this particular component wears out, it usually means replacing at least the exterior unit, if not the entire air conditioning system.

4. Improve Your Air Quality

When you get maintenance for your system, you’re also taking steps to improve that air quality in two ways. First, you improve the volume of airflow through the system by removing restrictions from dirty components and improving fan function. More air moving through the system means that your filter removes more contaminants from the air.

However, cleaning your components results in more than just improved airflow. The air flowing through your system will pick up particles within the system and circulate them back into your home’s air. The cleaning that improves efficiency also removes the contaminants the air could pick up, also improving your home’s overall air quality.

5. Keep Your Warranty Valid

Few homeowners take the time to read the fine print of their air conditioner’s warranty, often missing the terms for keeping it valid. These terms can include performing annual maintenance and only having professional technicians perform service on your system. This means that neglecting or trying to DIY your maintenance may invalidate your warranty.

6. Better Peace of Mind

When your system is brand new, you may not think much about whether it’ll operate properly for the season. However, as it ages, many people have a nagging feeling in the back of their minds about whether they’ll have a breakdown and how much it’ll cost. By getting maintenance in the spring, you’ll have a good idea of whether there are any repairs your system needs. Once you take care of them, you’ll experience nearly the same confidence of a brand-new system, knowing that it is much less likely to break down when you most depend on it.

Why Get AC Maintenance in the Spring?

It’s true that you can get AC maintenance at any point during the warmer months. However, scheduling it for the spring is ideal for a few reasons. First, you get the benefit of maximum efficiency throughout the entire season. Second, you avoid the rush that occurs when older systems start breaking down as the heat increases. Finally, if the technician finds something that needs repair, you have time to complete it before the weather adds more strain to the system.

Bernard Heating & Cooling has been the trusted name in household heating and cooling for Hudson since 2010. Our technicians take pride in providing dependable heating and AC maintenance, repair, and installation, along with indoor air quality solutions. Call to schedule your spring maintenance with one of our friendly technicians before the summer heat arrives.

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