Have you noticed? Spring is in the air: The snow is melting, actual grass is visible, and the temperatures are steadily increasing (at least for the moment). In today’s episode of Contractor Cornerstones, we’re looking ahead to prepare for actual warm weather—by maintaining the air conditioner now.
From the Professionals
Service Manager Andy Miller of Lammers Heating & Air Conditioning in Jackson, Michigan, had a few suggestions for a standard central air conditioner:
- Spray the outside unit off with a hose using normal household pressure. DO NOT use a power washer, which can cause damage.
- Keep grass clippings and other vegetation away from the unit, but DO NOT use a weed-wacker near it—you could damage the fins, leading to potential coolant leaks. Either pull by hand or use a weed killer.
Save Some Money!
Of course, Andy recommends a maintenance tune-up as well, but only to save you money in the long run.
“While a standard annual tune-up may run around $80 or $90, an air conditioner failure could cost $100s in repairs, or quite a bit more in replacement,” Andy said. “Regular service calls should prevent those extra visits, and they’ll also keep your machine running efficiently, saving you quite a bit in energy costs as well.”
So while you’re opening windows and enjoying that refreshing breeze, take a moment to maintain your A/C—It’ll keep you cooler later!
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Most of the northern states are already covered in snow, but we’re expecting a warm-up to melt it all away by next week. Take advantage of that melt-off and winterize your HVAC air conditioner, if you haven’t already.