There are certain things that the homeowner can do to help ensure their air conditioning system
stays up and running. Of course there is no 100% method that will stop everything that can possibly go wrong
from going wrong. That being said, there are a few things that can be done to help prevent a few things from
happening that have the potential of seriously damaging the house or an uncomfortable night’s sleep.
The easiest and one of the most important thing homeowners, tenants and anyone taking care of a
house or apartment is replace the air filter on a regular basis. The air filter is the thing that keeps the air in
house and the air passing through the indoor machine **(Air Handler)** clean. A clean indoor machine means clean
air ducts, and clean indoor air. Everyone likes clean air. For more information on filters click
here.
Most of the maintenance that needs to be done is associated with the indoor unit; The indoor unit **Air Handler**
down here in South Florida will remove anywhere from FIVE to TEN gallons of water from the house a day.
There is a drainage system connected to the indoor unit; we in the industry call it the drain line. The
drain line, if not maintained, will clog up. When the drain line backs up it can cause a lot of damage. We put
devices that help mitigate damage from backed up drain lines. These devices are called **float switches.** There are
different styles of float switches, but they all work pretty much the same; the water backs up and lifts the
float on the switch and it shuts the system off stopping the production of water.
The drain line can be cleaned with a simple wet-dry vacuum. By placing the vacuum on the outlet of the
drain line and turning it on, it will clear the build up inside the drain line. Now there are circumstances
that this technique will not resolve an issue, but if this technique is done a few times a year it will greatly
reduce the possibility of a drain line issue.
There sometimes is a secondary drain line to help reduce the potential of water damage in a residence. Some of
these drains you can see some just look like a regular drain. the most notable is if you have a Air Handler
above the ceiling. In the soffit outside there will be a piece of pipe sticking out of the soffit. If this
pipe is ever dripping you are having an issue with your Air Conditioning system and should call us right away.
If you are not in our area, call your local Air Conditioning contractor right away.
Another step you can do to ensure your A/C system keeps running smoothly is replace the batteries in the thermostat
if they require them. The batteries in a thermostat will last a very long time. I replace my costumers every two years.
Sometimes when the batteries are left in the thermostat too long (4 or 5 years) they will start to break down and
kill the thermostat.
My last tip for keeping you A/C running the way it is supposed to, is have an A/C Service Technician come out at least
once a year to take a look at the entire system and check the internal part and motors to make sure everything is working
the way it is designed to work.