The air conditioner is one of the best inventions that has helped people live better lives while preventing certain health risks that are associated with extreme heat. If you want to continue to have an effective way to cool the inside of your home on the hottest days and stay comfortable without having to contend with stifling temperatures, you should follow these tips to try to make your air conditioner last for as long as possible.
Clean Your Unit Regularly
Too much dirt and other debris inside your air conditioner can make your unit work harder and wear down components faster. You may also be more likely to run your AC on a higher power setting if the dirtiness inside your system is inhibiting airflow. By cleaning your air conditioner along with your air ducts, you can get better use out of your home’s cooling system.
Don’t Overuse Your AC
Like other household appliances, your air conditioning unit will wear out quicker if it’s overused. To limit the usage of your AC, you can try opening windows and using fans to cool your home’s interior. Dimming the lighting inside your home on certain days by turning off some of your lights and keeping your windows covered can also help you limit the need for air conditioning.
Schedule Tune-ups
Tune-up services can extend the light of your air conditioner and address certain repair and maintenance issues that can keep your unit from working properly. The spring season is often a great time of year to have your AC serviced. Air conditioning repair and maintenance technicians can be hired to perform all the tune-ups that your unit needs to function at its best.
Improve Your Home’s Insulation
You may need to add new insulation material to your home to help control the indoor temperature better and save your air conditioner from having to work as hard. Repairing any damaged sealing materials around your doors and windows can additionally help with insulation. The improved insulation can also help limit wasted cold air that escapes from your home.
Avoid Sharp Temperature Contrasts
If you set your AC’s thermostat to a temperature that’s considerably colder than the outdoor temperature, your unit will have to exert more energy to try to get reach the indoor temperature setting that you’ve programmed. If the temperature contrast is too extreme, your air conditioner likely won’t be able to reach the temperature that you set but will still exert a lot of energy to try to get there, and this can be hard on your unit. By setting your AC’s thermostat to a temperature that’s closer to the outdoor temperature, you’ll likely still be able to cool your home’s interior sufficiently.
You don’t always have to do a lot to extend the life of your air conditioner. By paying attention to your unit and knowing how to make it work as well as possible, you may avoid the hassle of buying a new air conditioner for many years.