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You Shouldn’t Skip AC Maintenance – Especially if You Live in Houston. Learn why you should maintain your unit so it’s always there when you need it.
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Houston, you know what it feels like in the summer when there’s no air conditioning, and you know it’s something you want to avoid at all costs.
Keeping your AC running throughout the summer is an absolute must here in Texas.
When the hardest of the summer heat hits, you need to be absolutely certain that your residential AC unit is fully prepared to bear the brunt of the oppressive summer weather we experience here in Houston. The best way to accomplish that is through preventative maintenance.
Regular maintenance can prevent the need for AC Repair, and help you survive the Houston summer comfortably.
Once a year – ideally before your air conditioner kicks into high gear to beat the summer heat – you should call a local AC repair service to ensure that your system doesn’t come down with a bad case of “mid-season malfunction” right when you need the cool air most.
It’s called “preventative maintenance” for a reason. Learn more about the types of problems regular AC maintenance prevents when you’re dealing with summer heat in Houston:
- Major Breakdowns
We all know that small problems can quickly turn into big, expensive issues if we don’t take care of them when they first arise. For example, you may complain about having to change the oil in your car, but it sure beats never doing it and having to replace your entire engine!
The same is true of your air conditioning unit. A skilled AC technician can catch potential problems early on so your cool air isn’t interrupted for even a moment.
- Minor Breakdowns
If you’ve never heard the term “boiling a frog,” it refers to how sometimes a problem can develop so slowly you don’t notice it until it has become severe. This can happen far too easily with a poorly maintained air conditioner.
The airflow could get restricted a little at a time, so that you don’t quite realize what’s happening. You aren’t as cool as you could be, but your unit is running full tilt and soaking up the electricity. You find yourself having to bump the thermostat down an additional degree one month to get the cooling you need, and the next month you have to do it again, and then again.
The best way to avoid getting slowly boiled by the Houston summer is to keep you AC unit maintained so it’s always running at peak efficiency.
- Low Coolant Levels
When talking about air conditioning, the term “charge” doesn’t refer to electricity, but to your coolant levels. Your unit doesn’t cool air by magic; it does it using liquid coolant that flow through coils, and that liquid needs to be replenished on a regular basis. Air is cooled when it passes over those coils, then the cooled air gets pumped into your home to keep you from sweating through the Texas summer.
Low coolant levels don’t stop your AC unit from functioning, though. They just make the air a little less cool over time, meaning your unit has to work harder and harder, and your air feels warmer and warmer.
- Poor Air Quality
During the winter your AC unit sits dormant, but the wind doesn’t stop. It carries dust, debris and allergens that land on your coils and fans. Making sure that your A/C unit is clear of dust and gunk will help keep your inside air free of pollen and other particles that can irritate allergies and lower the overall quality of the air in your home.
Regularly replacing your air filter is also an important part of keeping your air clean, but even that has to be done more frequently if your unit itself needs maintenance. An annual preventative maintenance call to an AC repair technician will both improve the quality of your air and help you spend less on filters.
- A Shortened Life Span for Your AC Unit
The average lifespan of an air conditioner is 10-15 years, and you may be able to prolong that time with proper, dedicated maintenance. On the flip side, skipping maintenance will most definitely reduce your unit’s lifespan.
Just like with any other piece of equipment, the better you take care of your air conditioner, the longer it will last. Don’t expect your cooling system to last forever – particularly in Houston where we make our AC work overtime – but you’ll be kissing it goodbye sooner rather than later if you run it summer after summer without tending to the proper maintenance.
- Warranty Issues
You may not realize it, but many AC warranties require proof that the unit has received regular service and maintenance. This means that by skipping maintenance you may be voiding your warranty. You’ll still be able to get your air conditioning repaired if something goes wrong, but you’ll have to pay costs you might not have incurred if you’d been able to get those repairs covered under warranty.
- Unsafe Conditions
Keeping your AC unit running properly isn’t just about comfort. It’s a safety issue as well. On average, about 5 people in Harris County alone die of heat stroke each summer according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
That would be reason enough for Houston residents to get regular AC maintenance, but it’s not even the only safety issue. A poorly maintained air conditioner puts added strain on your electrical system which can cause secondary safety hazards. Certain types of debris in your system or shorted circuits can cause fire hazards, as well, so skipping maintenance is actually pretty dangerous.
Calling an AC repair service to perform maintenance for you in the spring can help keep your family safe year-round.
- Unnecessary Costs
Just like with any other piece of equipment, preventative maintenance is cheaper than AC repairs. You can have a maintenance call every single year for a decade and still spend significantly less than you would if you had to get major repairs every few years or replace your unit in 5 years instead of 15.
If you’re skipping maintenance on your air conditioner to save money, don’t. You’ll actually end up spending far more in the long run.
Don’t suffer more than you have to in the hot Houston weather!
A large majority of air conditioning issues can be spotted early and repaired inexpensively as long as your AC unit is on a regular maintenance schedule. Don’t be caught burning up in the summer due to an air conditioning malfunction that could have been easily avoided. Give your cooling system just a little TLC, and it will work hard for you all year long!
Want to schedule an AC tune-up before you end up needing emergency air conditioning repair? Contact us today for quick and professional service in Houston, Spring, Katy and the surrounding communities.
You’ll also extend the life of your AC unit by knowing how to care for it day to day. Check out our blog and Knowledge Center to learn more about keeping your home cool when Houston gets hot.
