08/04/2021
HVAC longevity guidelines by yours truly:
(This may seem like a long read but it's worthy)
On a daily basis we see failures that could have been prevented by simple proper homeowner maintenance. Abide by these guidelines and I promise that repair or replacement is going to be much further into the life of your system.
1. During periods of high usage, change your filters monthly if located near the floor; every two or three months if located higher up on the wall or ceiling. If drywall renovations are going on; change weekly. When a filter is obviously dirty, it should have been changed a month or two ago. Sometimes you'll know by the sound the air makes pulling through the filter. Be observant, use your phone as a reminder. Air conditioning filters are not meant solely for the quality of your breathing air. Firstly, they are to protect the components of the system and are VERY important. Use a filter with a MERV rating of 8 to 10. Anything much lower doesn't filter dirt well, anything higher is too restrictive to airflow, and must be changed too frequently. DON'T put oils on your filter because someone said it would catch more dirt (it will, but that oil is transferred to everything else, where the dirt sticks). If you use washable filters, REPLACE the media once a year. It gets too caked with hair to effectively rinse out. Once a filter is dirty; they bend, the air gets sucked around them, they're no longer doing what they were put there for in the first place.
2. Don't set your thermostat to cool below 70 degrees. When you do this, the condensate on the indoor coil freezes. This prevents proper heat exchange and slugs liquid refrigerant back to the compressor outside. If left to run long enough in this condition, it can cause compressor failure and you'll be in for at least a compressor, if not complete system changeout (in the case of an obsolete R22 system). Home AC systems simply aren't meant to operate at lower temperatures, as a commercial chiller would be. It's in the science. Many users are freezing their system up overnight and just aren't aware that it's even happening. If you discover your system is frozen solid; to thaw it, turn the "cool" to the "off" position and the "fan" to the "on" position. Then call your service technician to discover why it may have frozen. Dirty filters and low set temperatures are not the only things that cause freeze-ups, but inadvertently, the most commonly found reasons.
3. Maintain the outdoor condensing unit. Don't let dogs urinate on the coils and don't run "hard water" sprinklers on them constantly. Both cause the aluminum fins to literally disintegrate in a semi-rapid fashion. Once or twice a year, a water hose can be used to rinse the dirt out of the condensing coils. This is especially true of systems with hail guards or units that are placed underneath an awning where they never see rain. Turn the breaker off first so you aren't electrocuted! DO NOT build awnings any closer than 6 feet from the top of the unit. DO NOT fully enclose them to try to protect them from the weather. The heat being exchanged needs lots of room to move away from the unit. If it's not getting it, head pressures are high, motors are over-amped, component failures are eminent. This goes for window units as well. I can think of several examples of these "don't do's" that each of you probably see on a daily to weekly basis.
4. Don't attempt to change parts or add refrigerant yourself if you aren't absolutely sure that you have the correct component for your system. Incorrect parts may seem to work for a while, but ultimately will cause major failure. Motor and capacitor specifications need to be matched. ie, voltage, horsepower, speed, rotation, microfarads, etc. Refrigerant types can not be mixed. Do not go to Wal-Mart for a can of R134a. Your home system does not use this refrigerant. Don't let anyone add the new R22 replacements on top of R22, they also can not be mixed. If you know you have mixed refrigerants, you need to have the system evacuated and fresh refrigerant put in. R410A is the newest and most environmentally friendly refrigerant for home AC, however, R410A can't just be added to an R22 system. Many of you still have an R22 system, which has been phased out. Parts are getting difficult to find. If your R22 system has a leak or major work (over $600-$800, certainly) is required to keep it operating, I would highly suggest that you consider moving on to a R410A system. It is the least costly and smarter choice in the long run.
I believe this just about sums up my thoughts on this subject for the moment. If you have any questions about what you have going on, don't hesitate to give us a call. Just be sure to leave a message. We don't have a secretary and are usually in the middle of something. We'll get back to you as soon as we can!
Brandon
