The days are getting longer as the winter season fades into spring, heralding a steady but incremental increase in daily temperatures. While it may not be time to crank up the air conditioning in your Tallahassee-area home, now is the perfect time to prepare your AC system for the hotter days ahead. Spring AC maintenance helps ensure your system efficiently cools your home throughout the warmer months. An HVAC tune-up also helps reduce energy costs, prevents breakdowns, enhances indoor air quality, optimizes indoor air comfort, and extends the operational lifespan of your AC system.
The Tallahassee air conditioning service specialists at Air Control Heating and Cooling know that people tend to have an “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” feeling about their HVAC systems during the cooler months. “Because their air conditioners aren’t running all the time throughout the winter, most people don’t give any thought about their HVAC systems until they start cranking them up in the spring,” says Air Control Heating and Cooling owner Tim Hawkins. “And when that happens, our service calls jump as folks discover they’ve got a problem with their systems.”
Thus, these last weeks of winter are the perfect time to prepare your AC for spring and the hotter days to come. At the very least, you should run your AC system briefly to ensure that it works properly. That way, if you discover any problems, you can call for service before the spring service rush. However, we recommend going beyond just a simple test run and have put together the following primer on optimal pre-season AC maintenance in Tallahassee.
Do-It-Yourself Spring HVAC Maintenance
The first step in DIY HVAC Spring maintenance is to briefly run your AC system to ensure that it works correctly. If it’s not cooling effectively, you’ll probably need to call for professional HVAC service. Some older AC systems may emit odd noises, vibrations, or odors with the first power-up of the season. If they don’t subside after a few minutes, conduct a visual inspection of the condenser unit to see if you notice any apparent problems. Absent anything noticeable, you should probably call for service if any such issues persist.
Other easy DIY AC maintenance you can perform includes the following:
- Clean or replace air filters—in fact, you should conduct this task at least quarterly to ensure optimal efficiency and airflow.
- Test your thermostat—check that it powers up the AC as directed by the set temperature, and, if applicable, consider upgrading to a “smart” thermostat to enhance energy efficiency.
- Check out the ductwork and vents—visually inspect the ductwork for damage, leaks, or disconnected joints. To restore airflow, you can seal most leaks with foil tape or mastic sealant. Ductwork disconnections can often be fixed with metal screws and foil tape, but you may need to replace the connector. This is also the perfect time to vacuum and clean vents and registers to remove dust and allergens.
- Clear debris from outdoor condenser unit—clear any leaves or yard waste around your condenser unit and trim back any encroaching vegetation to ensure a minimum of two feet of clearance around the unit.
To dive deeper into spring HVAC maintenance, prioritize safety by turning off your AC unit’s electricity via the home’s electrical panel breakers and outdoor shut-off box. Once that’s done, you can safely conduct the following DIY tasks:
- Clean condenser coils—use a low-pressure garden hose to gently wash dust and dirt off the coils in the outside condenser unit and a soft brush or coil cleaner to remove stubborn debris. This task helps improve cooling efficiency.
- Inspect and clean evaporator coils—if the air handler’s (inside unit) evaporator coils are coated with dust or mold, clean them with a soft brush or a no-rinse coil cleaner.
- Inspect and clear drain line—if you notice debris or algae growth in the condensate drain line (located near the evaporator coils), you can try to remove it with a shop vac, air compressor, or snake, depending on the type. To prevent clogs and algae buildup, pour a cup of white vinegar or bleach into the drain line.
- Check electrical components—unless you’re comfortable with electronics, we recommend leaving this task to a professional HVAC technician. Otherwise, you can check the system’s wiring capacitors, and contacts for wear or damage and tighten any loose connections.
HVAC Maintenance Tasks Best Left to a Professional
Some other critical HVAC maintenance tasks that should be conducted to prepare your AC system for the coming warmer seasons include:
- Inspection of compressor and blower motor.
- Refrigerant level check with refill if needed.
- Moving parts lubrication.
- System performance and safety testing.
However, unless you have professional AC maintenance experience, we recommend letting a professional HVAC technician handle these tasks. In fact, to secure complete peace of mind and convenience about your spring AC tune-up in Tallahassee, consider joining Air Control Heating and Cooling’s Air Control Club seasonal maintenance plan. With two membership tiers, the plan provides 18-point inspection and servicing as needed and the following additional benefits:
- 24-hour priority response on service calls.
- Zero holiday-only overtime charges.
- Reduced service call diagnostic charges.
- 10% service call savings on parts and labor.
- 10% savings on duct cleaning and indoor air quality products.
- $250 discount on replacement units
Trust the HVAC Specialists at Air Control for Optimal Cooling
For all your Tallahassee-area residential or commercial HVAC needs, consult with the NATE-certified Air Control Heating and Cooling specialists. Providing the best HVAC service in Tallahassee, Havana, Quincy, Monticello, and Crawfordville since 1968, you can contact us at (850) 562-1234.