Learn How to Extend the Life of Your HVAC System

An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure, or at least that’s what granny always said. You don’t have to be an expert in the heating and air conditioning field to extend the life of your HVAC system. Below are some simple tips to extend the life of your air conditioner.

1. Keep grass, bushes and those pesky vines trimmed away from your outside unit (technically known as a condenser). We can’t tell you how many service calls we’ve have run over the years simply do to vines and bushes!
2. Wash your outside unit periodically, especially after you mow. A dirty condenser coil can’t dissipate the heat as it should. When the condenser coil is dirty the unit runs much hotter and at higher pressures putting stress on all the components of your outdoor unit and ultimately shortening your entire systems lifespan. Just use a regular old water hose, never use a high-pressure nozzle or a pressure washer. There are electrical components inside but simply turn off the breaker and your good to go.
3. Pour a couple of cups of vinegar down your condensate drain line monthly, this helps to prevent clogged condensate drain lines. Clogged drains make up roughly 30 percent of our AC service calls and can cause tons of damage to your home. You would be shocked to know how much water an air conditioner can make on a hot and humid day. Over 50 gallons in a day (crazy right?)
4. CHANGE YOUR AIR FILTERS!!!!!! Dirt kills air conditioners, period! We recommend replacing your filter every 30 days. Trust us – replacing filters is much cheaper than replacing air conditioners. It also helps to reduce allergens in your home. Some studies show that the average indoor air is 400 times more polluted than the outdoor air.
5. Get rid of the fire ants. For reasons unknown to us, fire ants love to get into contractors on outdoor units and die. We have never understood why but we promise they do. Spread some ant poison around the base of you outdoor unit and you can potentially avoid a costly repair.

For any other HVAC issue, remember to contact your friendly professionals at Cool Kings Heating and Air at 512-318-7212!