Ways to Prolong Your AC’s Lifespan

Defeating the heat waves of summer places an enormous amount of stress on an air conditioner; without proper care a system will rapidly age, leading to early repair needs and eventually a full breakdown. Installing a new air conditioner is expensive, so you want to get the most years possible out of your current system and avoid an early replacement.
Here is some advice for how you can extend your air conditioning system’s service life. Start practicing these tips this summer, and you can expect to have many years of cooling from your home’s AC. For professional assistance to keep your air conditioning in Gloucester County, NJ in tip-top shape, call on SPS Mechanical Inc. Our NATE-certified technicians will provide the maintenance and repairs necessary for an efficient and effective AC.
How to get the most years from your air conditioning

Schedule annual professional maintenance: This is the most important step for AC longevity. Your air conditioner must have a visit each year (preferably during spring) from an HVAC technician to inspect, adjust, and tune-up the system. This reduces the strain the AC suffers each year and slows down how fast it ages. Without an annual maintenance visit, an air conditioning system will likely only reach approximately half its expected lifespan.
Avoid overworking the AC through thermostat abuse: Many homeowners place extra stress on their air conditioners without realizing it. Setting the thermostat at the lowest temperature possible (which is often 60°F) is an example of unnecessary strain. Setting the thermostat so low will not make the air conditioner cool down a home faster; it will only make the air conditioner stay on longer, wasting energy and wearing down components. Find a warmer temperature and keep the thermostat stable: 72°F is a comfortable temperature for most people, and it will require less work from the air conditioning.
Regularly change the air filter: The filter prevents debris that comes through the return vents from infiltrating the air conditioner’s cabinet and damaging the components. But unless you change the air filter for a fresh one every month, it will become congested with dust and dirt and choke off the airflow into the AC, forcing it to work harder. You should continue changing the filter every month for the rest of the summer and as long as the air conditioner sees daily use.

The average lifespan of an air conditioner is 1–15 years, depending on the model. With proper care and maintenance, your system should few problems reaching the upper limit and possibly exceeding it. To start off right, schedule a maintenance visit before the summer begins.
Sign up for the Total Maintenance Solution program at SPS Mechanical Inc. today. We offer two tune-ups per year (air conditioning and heating) and a 15% discount on our flat rate services. Give us a call today!

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Tags: Air Conditioning, Gloucester County
Friday, May 2nd, 2014 at 12:49 pm | Categories: Air Conditioning
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