Maintaining Air Conditioners Periodically can Extend their Lives
By Mark J. Donovan
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Air conditioner maintenance is often forgotten or ignored by most homeowners, until the day it no longer works. Surprising to many is that maintaining air conditioners is relatively easy to do, and with just a little periodic maintenance you can extend the life of an air conditioner for several additional years.
Summarized below are some basic air conditioner maintenance tips that you can do to extend the life of your portable air conditioning unit. Clean Air Filter An air conditioner sucks in air from the room that it is cooling, so consequently dust collects on the air filter. |
To make sure you air conditioning unit is running at peak performance clean the air filter regularly. If you use your air conditioner regularly during the summer months, clean the air filter monthly. If you use your portable air conditioner only occasionally, as we do in New England, then clean the air filter at the end of the summer.
| Clean Air Conditioner Condenser Coils
Clean the condenser coils at the end of the summer season by blowing compressed air into the coils or by brushing them with a steel brush. Also, make sure you clean up all the loosened dirt and dust that will fall to the bottom of the air conditioner when cleaning the coils. Dirt and dust resting on the bottom of the air conditioner, where water condensation collects, could impact the performance of your air conditioner. Turn Off Air Conditioner when Outside Air is Below 60 Degrees If the outside air temperate is below 60 degrees, check the front air conditioner condenser coils for ice buildup. |
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If there is ice buildup, turn the air conditioner off and wait until the outside air temperature is warmer and the ice has fully melted.
| Don’t Rapidly Cycle the Air Conditioner On/Off
Cycling an air conditioner on and off rapidly can shorten the life of the air conditioner unit. Consequently, wait a few minutes after shutting the air conditioner off before cycling it back on. Storing Portable Air Conditioners Finally, when storing your portable air conditioner at the end of the summer, store it in a location where no mice or other small rodents can nest in. Mice can chew through insulation and wires, and destroy an air conditioning unit in short order. |
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With these basic air conditioning maintenance tips you should be able to extend the life of your portable air conditioner for several additional years.
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