Is AC Maintenance Necessary for Riverside, CA Homes?
It’s no secret that summertime in Riverside, CA, is hot with dry heat. While many enjoy spending time outdoors in the heat, most residents also like to cool off indoors under their air conditioners. Unfortunately, the lack of routine AC maintenance causes homeowners to have preventable AC breakdowns and costly repairs at times when they need a reliable air conditioner.
Maintaining an air conditioner is a necessary chore that many homeowners overlook, because they don’t understand the significance of the task or how it affects more than their comfort. The Dragonfly team is here to educate you on the importance of AC maintenance in Riverside, CA and the benefits the service can provide.
What Is AC Maintenance?
AC maintenance is a series of steps for keeping the cooling unit running near peak performance. The service is similar to taking your car for an oil change or going to a doctor for a yearly checkup. Instead of waiting for problems to arise with your air conditioner, preventative maintenance ensures the system is safe, functional, and ready for use each spring and summer.
Maintenance includes thorough inspections from Dragonfly’s skilled HVAC technicians. Our professionals have ample training and hands-on experience to recognize early warning signs of damage and wear. They know how to make the system more efficient, so it doesn’t need excessive energy to produce cold air.
During the inspection, the technician will perform several tasks, such as:
- Clearing the drain line
- Replacing the air filter
- Cleaning the condenser unit outside
- Checking all electrical components
- Assessing the refrigerant levels
- Inspect all air conditioning components
- Repair or replace damaged parts
What Are The Advantages Of Maintaining Your Air Conditioner?
With the proper maintenance, your air conditioner will run smoothly and have greater energy efficiency all summer long. It also dramatically reduces the risk of the unit experiencing unexpected breakdowns that require costly repairs or a complete system replacement sooner than later. Below we have provided five benefits of scheduling AC maintenance in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and surrounding areas with a Dragonfly technician.
- Save Money
- Better Energy Efficiency
- Enhanced Comfort
- Improved Carbon Footprint
- Peace Of Mind
Save Money
When your air conditioner doesn’t operate optimally due to a dirty air filter, frozen evaporator coil, blocked vents, or another common problem, it will overwork itself to compensate for the issue. The extra work uses additional energy, which leads to costly energy expenses. A chore as simple as replacing a filthy filter can reduce an AC’s energy consumption by up to 15%, according to the Department of Energy.
Another way to save money with air conditioner maintenance is an extended lifespan on your equipment. With maintenance, the unit receives all its repairs and performance-related adjustments, so it’s less likely to break down prematurely. Most well-maintained air conditioners last between 15 to 20 years.
Better Energy Efficiency
The biggest electricity consumer in your home is your HVAC system. An AC unit needs a large amount of energy to work properly. Still, you can reduce its energy consumption and maximize the system’s energy efficiency with routine maintenance. Every part of an air conditioner works in tandem to produce and circulate chilled air throughout your house. When a single component breaks, lacks maintenance, is faulty, or has an improper installation, it affects everything else in a chain reaction, causing greater energy consumption.
Enhanced Comfort
Nothing is better than walking into a chilled home after a long day in heat and sunlight. With routine AC maintenance, you can enjoy that sensation throughout the spring and summer months. Your unit will have more even cooling and provide a steady distribution of chilled air.
Improved Carbon Footprint
A surprising benefit of air conditioner maintenance to many people in Riverside is an improved carbon footprint. When you run your air conditioner or furnace, you’re consuming energy. Energy that runs on fossil fuel combustion contributes to air pollution. Though you can’t run your air conditioner without electricity, you can reduce how much fossil fuel it consumes through maintenance and improved energy efficiency.
Peace of Mind
The last thing you want to experience on a sweltering day is a broken air conditioner, but unexpected situations can and will occur. Fortunately, you can rest assured your maintenance endeavors include the necessary steps to reduce the risk of having an AC problem severe enough to trigger a costly system breakdown.
When Should You Schedule AC Maintenance In Fontana, CA?
Ideally, professional HVAC maintenance should occur at least twice a year. You can schedule a furnace tune-up in the fall to ensure your heating system is ready for Riverside’s mild but chilly winters. For AC maintenance, it’s best to contact a qualified contractor in the spring for a tune-up.
You might choose to wait until summer is in full swing to book the appointment, but that’s not the wise thing to do. Summertime is when most AC technicians are busy. If your unit breaks down or fails to keep your home cool when temperatures are high and you wait too long for a tune-up, you could find yourself waiting even longer for an appointment. Instead, book the service in the spring and make sure the unit is ready to battle the heat.
Although we recommend scheduling AC maintenance during the spring season, it is never too late to start taking care of your air conditioner! If you have yet to schedule preventative maintenance for your AC unit, give the Dragonfly experts a call to keep your air conditioner running efficiently for the remainder of summer!
What To Do Between Tune-Ups
If you decide to schedule the service annually, you can still take steps to maintain your cooling system until the next appointment. Here are several do-it-yourself tips for maintaining an air conditioner:
- Change or clean air filters at least once every 90 days
- Clean the vents
- Ensure the outdoor unit has at least two feet of clearance on all sides
- Turn your thermostat up a few degrees at night and when no one is home
- Call an HVAC professional at the first sign of trouble
Contact Dragonfly Heating & Cooling For Professional AC Maintenance In Corona, CA
With over 12 years of HVAC experience, our Dragonfly Heating & Cooling team is available to deliver outstanding HVAC services to clients throughout Orange County. We employ certified technicians with the expertise, skills, and tools to maintain all air conditioner types properly. We offer comprehensive monthly maintenance plans at competitive rates. Call 951-684-0880 to schedule reliable AC maintenance in Riverside, CA, with our experts at Dragonfly Heating & Cooling.