How To Make Sure Your AC Is Working Properly

One of the most important things to do when you buy a house or rent one is to make sure that your AC unit is working properly. If the AC stops working it can be extremely expensive to fix it. Besides, one of the more frustrating things for some people during summer is to get home, turn the air conditioning on, and feel that it doesn’t work. This is a problem that you can easily avoid, and it’s a good idea to make sure your AC is working properly before you buy or rent a house. It is simple once you know what to do, and it will save you the frustration of having an air conditioner not work when you want it to. In this article, we’re going to give you some tips on how to check your AC unit for proper functionality as well as some maintenance tips.

Check the Belt

The first thing to check is the belt. If it looks worn, cracked, or otherwise deteriorated, replace it. You can do this by yourself as long as you have a screwdriver and a wrench handy. It won’t cost much to buy these tools as they are relatively inexpensive at hardware stores. When you go to buy a new belt, bring the old one with you so that you will be able to get a replica of your old belt. It is best to go to the place where you bought your AC unit and they will have a catalog from which you can choose a belt that’s suitable for your particular AC.

Ensure that the Fan is Moving Properly

Another thing that you can check is whether or not the fan, which is located inside the AC unit, is moving properly. You will be able to notice this by looking at the vents out of which hot air comes out. As stated at filterbuy.com, this is one of the most important things to check when you want to make sure your air conditioning unit works properly. If it doesn’t look like there’s enough force behind the flow of air coming out, this means that something might be wrong with the fan belt. Also, if there are loose parts on your AC unit, especially around where it connects to another part of your house or apartment building, then this could mean that your AC system isn’t working properly because foreign objects have become lodged into it resulting in damage.

Test the Pressure Switches

Pressure switches are important because they tell your AC unit to stop working when the refrigerant tanks are full. This helps keep the machine from damaging itself, which can result in having to replace it altogether. If you notice a pressure switch isn’t working properly, this could be a sign that it is not operating at 100%, and therefore your AC unit might not work either. To make sure the switch isn’t malfunctioning, you should go to an HVAC equipment shop and have them come out to check everything for you as well as fix things if need be.

Check for Refrigerant Leaks

Another thing that you have to check is the refrigerant. If there’s a leak, this can be very costly because your AC unit will have to be replaced. The good thing about looking for leaks is that if you find one, it’ll be quite obvious where it is because of all the oil and another residue that accumulates around the unit. You should try to clean up this mess before anything else to avoid further deterioration of your AC or any repairs being more expensive than they would otherwise need to be. Either a professional technician will do a good job at cleaning up after a leak or trying yourself may result in causing even more damage to your AC unit, which might make replacing it necessary.

Look at the Ventilation

A good amount of ventilation is necessary for your AC unit to work properly. If dust or other particles are clogging it, this could prevent the hot air from coming out. You can find out if your AC unit has proper ventilation by standing in front of the vents and checking whether you feel a strong flow of air coming through. The most common mistake people make is not checking this important thing so it’s best to do your due diligence and find out if the vents are properly ventilated without delay. Getting rid of the mess that has accumulated in the vents will allow you to use your AC unit without any problems because it will be able to blow hot air like it’s supposed to do.

Ensure that the Evaporator Coil is Clean

The evaporator coil is what absorbs the heat from inside your house. To make sure it doesn’t have any leaks or other problems, you should check whether or not it has accumulated dust and grime. If so, this will need to be removed by a professional HVAC technician because using your AC unit when there’s dust clogging the evaporator could cause more damage to it so that replacing it becomes necessary. By ensuring that all of these things are working well together in conjunction with one another, you should be able to get good use out of your AC for many years before having to repair or replace any parts.

Conclusively, having an AC unit working properly is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your home or apartment building so that it doesn’t heat up too much during the summer. This is why you should make sure to check all these things regularly so that your air conditioning doesn’t become damaged and remain functional for as long as possible.