4 Reasons Your HVAC System Needs Fall Maintenance

Fall is the season when the weather starts to turn and air conditioning units start losing their heat exchanger efficiency. This is when annual maintenance is recommended to keep your HVAC system running at peak efficiency.

There are many reasons your condenser air conditioning system needs fall inspection, but also many misconceptions about how it works and what it needs. If you are having problems with your condenser system, it may be time to get it checked.

Let’s check out these 4 Reasons Your HVAC System Needs Fall Maintenance.

4 (Main) Reasons Why Fall Maintenance Is Important

In no particular order we will be discussing these 4 areas that affect your HVAC: We will also talk about a few other issues as well.

• Cooling Fans
• Condenser System
• AC Coils
• Refrigerant

Cooling Fans

• As the air outside gets colder, the evaporative cooling fans inside your condenser fan break down. To get the fan to run smoothly, you need to clear out any dust or debris that may be blocking the fan intake.

This can cause a lot of problems if you don’t know what you are looking for.

You can keep your fan working at peak efficiency with these tips:

• Eliminate outside clutter to clear the fan intake of dust and debris.
• Check the air filter to see if it’s clogged or dirty.
• Use a heavy duty disinfectant to clean the filters and drain the dirty water.
• Check to see if there are any leaks, cracks, and other damages that may be causing a problem with the fan intake.
• Clean the coils in your condenser coils to ensure maximum efficiency of the system.

Condenser Air Conditioning System and Its Components

You know your HVAC system, and you’ve probably done maintenance on it before. However, in an emergency, there are many things to remember.

First of all, it’s not always the furnace that is causing your furnace to be noisy. In some cases, the air conditioner is the issue.

This is why it’s important to have a professional inspect the unit. If you’re home during the winter months, you’re probably aware that it can be very cold outside.

When your HVAC unit is running, it has to work very hard to get the air cold. The air needs to be cooled down from outside, so when it gets inside the house, it can’t hold much cold, causing noise or even damage.

Fall is the season when the weather starts to turn and air conditioning units start losing their heat exchanger efficiency.

Causes of Condenser Air Conditioner Failures

• Humidity Settings High humidity levels can damage your heating and cooling equipment. Your unit must properly function at a certain minimum humidity. While this varies from area to area, some people go above and beyond and maintain a higher humidity level than what is recommended.
• Many people believe the higher the humidity, the cooler the air. This may be true at first, but over time, the air starts to dry out. It also loses much of its efficiency because of the increased evaporation. However, there is another misconception about humidity.
• Most people think that when the humidity levels are too high, they get less air movement. However, not only is this not the case, there is a slight chance that air movement increases when humidity levels are high.

What Happens When Your System Needs Fall Maintenance?

A common misconception is that your air conditioner is built to last for 15-20 years. This means that if you purchase an older system with a 10-year warranty, it will be right on the money.

Your air conditioner may work for 10 years, but it won’t last for 30 years. While the product is built to last for 5-10 years, your system is getting older, and it isn’t as efficient as it used to be.

Your air conditioner is getting more and more inefficient and you need to do a yearly check-up on your system to make sure it stays in good working order. Your system needs to be serviced as well to make sure that your HVAC unit has been operating properly.

This will allow the air conditioner to operate at its peak efficiency.

The HVAC Professionals Step In

This is an age-old way of doing things in the HVAC industry and can even be seen in businesses across America. You pay for a service call and the experts are usually on the premises working to diagnose your issue.

If they can’t figure out the problem, they then work to troubleshoot it. If that doesn’t work, they are sent off to source the part needed and install it.

As a homeowner, you typically have to visit the HVAC specialist in your area. That’s not how it should be. It’s time to take things into your own hands and let the professionals look after your HVAC system.

You can’t beat the expertise and efficiency of a professional for the upkeep of your heating and air conditioning unit.

Fall Problems Are Typical, Not Unusual

As summer draws to a close and autumn begins to creep in, it is not unusual for your HVAC unit to start showing signs of seasonal maintenance. However, the components in your HVAC system will still need to be updated, changed or serviced.

The two major culprits for a failing HVAC system this time of year are condensation and air leaks.

Condensation is a common reason for your unit to break down this time of year. When condensation builds up on a unit it causes the air in the unit to expand and ultimately causes the heat exchanger to slow down.

Air leaks are another common cause of HVAC system maintenance. HVAC units are filled with air that needs to be circulated to keep them at peak performance.

Clean the AC Coil and Fan Motor

The coil inside your air conditioning system cools the air you’re sending through the system. When you turn your AC off in the winter, it cools down.

To get rid of the waste heat, the air conditioning coil must be cleaned. You can use a solvent like hydrogen peroxide or a silicone-based cleaner.

These work by dissolving away the water that is accumulated inside the coil during winter. Fan motor needs cleaning too.

This is the part of your air conditioning system that pushes air throughout the room through the thermostat. It is responsible for cooling your system even though it may not be working directly in front of the air conditioner.

If the fan motor is dirty and/or dusty it will not work efficiently and could become out of alignment.

Clean the Outdoor Unit

As the outdoor unit’s outside fan spins to keep your system operating at peak efficiency, it can sometimes dry out and will rust over. This is especially true in the cooler months of the year.

Your condenser system uses two massive fans in order to push air through. The condenser system could run for years before the outside unit starts to rust, but you need to inspect it at least once a year to make sure it isn’t too badly damaged.

• Make sure the outside unit is clean, free of dirt, grime and debris that could damage the interior of the unit. Check the coil Check the indoor unit to make sure it has air flowing through it.
• Inspect all three condensers in your system. The coils inside your HVAC system will wear out over time, especially the inside coils that require extra power.

Check Out the Evaporator Coil’s Refrigerant Charge

Your evaporator coil is where your refrigerant charge in a heating or cooling system goes. If your condenser coil is not making its job it is going to affect the operation of the system and any additional repair cost.

This is where you can see if there is any charge built up in the evaporator coil, as this indicates that the system may have been operating at lower pressures. If your system has been operating at higher pressures and charge, then your system may need to be inspected by a professional.

Check for frozen coils. Most times, condenser coils tend to freeze. This is when the system doesn’t have refrigerant charge.

If the refrigerant charge is not there, and the condenser coils are frozen, the coil may need to be removed, cleaned and refilled.

Why Cool Experts AC Can Take Care of Your Fall HVAC Maintenance

Fall is the time of year that air conditioning units start losing heat exchanger efficiency, which can lead to many problems with the system. Air conditioning units must be maintained in the off-season to prevent serious issues.

At Cool Experts AC, we’ve been taking care of our customers in Irving, Texas and beyond for a very long time now. They trust our knowledge and experience and we truly appreciate them.

Let our expert staff and technician prove to you why we are the number 1 HVAC company around. Contact Cool Experts AC today to get started.