While you are staying safe at home, your family’s indoor comfort will be of utmost importance. Your HVAC system needs routine maintenance, and getting tune-ups twice a year is the best way to avoid future emergencies. But you may wonder, what exactly does the technician do when completing a tune-up? How will it help maintain my system? We’re going to answer those exact questions!
What is involved with an A/C tune-up/ what will the technician do?
1. Check the air filter
First, we are going to note something that you can and should do yourself … routinely check and replace the air filter. Unfortunately, many people don’t do it, so it’s often the first point that technicians address.
In fact, one of the most common reasons that an air conditioner breaks down in the sweltering heat of summer is because a dirty filter keeps air from passing through. If air can’t move through the coils, the coils get too cold and freeze!
2. Assess refrigerant pressures
Then, the tech will make sure that pressure levels are normal. This refers to how much refrigerant pressure is in the refrigerant lines. If the pressure amount is off, that could mean there is a leak in the line or that the air flow is restricted for some reason.
3. Repair leaks
If there is a problem with the refrigerant pressures, your tech will find the leak and give you options on repairing the leak, or, in some cases, may recommend a system replacement if the leak is in the coils.
4. Make sure the condensate line is operating
You may be wondering, what is a condensate line? Well, warm air passing through the cold evaporator coils (in order to cool the air down), creates condensation — moisture that is then drained out of the system. So if your condensate line isn’t working properly, this moisture is not properly drained out!
Your tech may recommend that you put a splash of white vinegar in the condensate line once a month or so, in order to clean out the pump line without using any harsh chemicals. This is a great example of DIY maintenance that’s actually safe to do!
If a dirty air filter is the most common cause for service calls, the condensate drain being stopped up is probably the second most common!
5. Check the electrical parts
The tech is then going to check all of the electrical components in the cooling system to ensure that they aren’t wearing out. If one of the electrical parts is starting to weaken that can have a snowball effect on the rest of the electrical parts in the system.
We want to ensure not only your indoor comfort, but your safety too!