AC breakdowns happen all the time. But we have a secret to tell you. AC breakdowns usually happen when homeowners do not keep up with regular maintenance steps to care for their air conditioners. You can keep reading to learn our best recommendations for how to take excellent care of your air conditioner, and how to stop it from breaking down.
Of course, if anything ever does happen, you can give our team a call for AC repair in Lake Zurich. We can review the problems, get them fixed, and even offer tips for preventing the same problem from happening again in the future.
Homeowner Maintenance
Taking care of your air conditioner is the best and simplest way to prevent breakdowns. There are maintenance steps that you need to complete, including:
- Selecting an appropriate air filter
- Changing out the air filter on time or early
- Hosing off the outdoor unit when it gets dirty
- Keeping all of the air vents open around your home
- Wiping down the casing and inspecting the system’s exterior components for leaks or issues.
When you complete these steps, you give your air conditioner the best chance of working successfully. Skipping out on these care steps is when problems can begin to develop. A dirty air filter can block airflow into the system.
The outdoor unit can get clogged with dirt and block heat from being able to escape. Closing off air vents can mean that your air conditioner starts working harder because air gets trapped in the ductwork instead of blowing out into your home.
If you’re having problems with certain rooms being too warm or too cool compared to others, you need to call our team to inspect your ductwork. Closing air vents doesn’t actually redirect airflow the way you might think it does. Instead, cooled air is just getting trapped inside the system near where the vents are closed.
Professional Maintenance
It’s equally important to schedule professional maintenance once each year. Our team then has the opportunity to look at your system inside and out to make sure everything is operating the way it should. As professionals, it’s easy for us to identify AC problems early on before they begin to cause issues with how your AC is actually operating.
When you skip out on AC maintenance, your risk of unexpected repairs increases exponentially. A small problem can worsen very quickly, and by the time it’s obvious that you need to schedule a service, the repair need is significant.
Paying Attention to Problems
Aside from caring for your unit, it is very important that you pay attention to how it is operating. If you notice anything unusual at all, give our team a call and ask about it. We can talk you through what you’re experiencing and help you decide if you need to schedule a professional service. Sometimes we can offer you troubleshooting tips if we suspect a particular problem. Examples of things to pay attention to include:
- Unusual cooling cycles
- Loud noises
- Bad odors
- Uneven cooling
- Airflow that is lukewarm or weak
Contact Althoff Home Services today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. Chicago’s Choice Since 1961. Hand It Off to Althoff!