how often does an ac unit need service

Reviews & Advice Home Auto Shows & Enthusiasts What's Involved In Servicing Your Car's Air Conditioning Summer's arrival means your vehicle's air conditioning system is going to be under a serious strain before long. If you haven't had your system serviced in a while, now's the time. While most newer vehicles may simply be able to get away with having their A/C recharged, older cars and trucks may require a little extra attention. Car Ownership Tips » Budget-Friendly Car Cleaning Tips Green & Hybrid » How Long Will a Hybrid Car Battery Last? How to Change a Cabin Air Filter Family & Lifestyle » Get the Most out of Car Camping Auto Shows & Enthusiasts »◃ Knowledge Base Home How To Properly Change Your Air Conditioning Filter Imagine driving at 60mph down a dirt road in a convertible with out a windshield during a summer day. A marriage of bugs and teeth comes to mind, no? This pane of glass protects us from the dirt, debris, and bugs that would otherwise end up in our eyes, noses, and yes, teeth.

But did you know that you can similarly equate your air conditioning filter to your car's windshield? It keeps all that unwanted debris from reaching the internal workings of the air conditioner, aka the "teeth" of any home comfort system!
no power going to ac unit Air conditioner manufacturers design their units with filtration in mind, and in all cases recommend changing the filter out regularly to keep the unit functioning correctly.
central ac units onlineSince the filter is often placed in an inconspicuous part of the HVAC unit, it is easy to forget to change it out.
window ac unit salesDifferent filter technologies have extended the ability of some filters, such as pleated filters, to function longer than others. The typical kind you see are the 1 inch-thick fiberglass kinds, usually a blue or green color and found at most grocery or hardware stores.

Unfortunately, while they are the most widely sold, they are also the most ineffective filter you can use and are the culprit behind most Austin AC repair. For true filtration and performance your best bet is a pleated ac filter which comes in various sizes and thicknesses, depending on the application. For asthma-sufferers and other health concerns HEPA filters are a great choice to help further reduce indoor air pollution. Depending on your specific needs an HVAC professional should be able to recommend the right type or combination of filtration measures that will achieve the results you are looking for. All filters come with suggested replacement schedules that should be adhered to as closely as possible. The cheaper fiberglass kinds, available at your box stores for example, have a maximum 1 month life span but in reality do little to no good and are not recommended by any manufacturer, while some of the higher performance models, like 5 inch pleated filters can go as long as 8 months (under specific circumstances like low traffic, or pet-free homes) before they need to be replaced according to the manufacturer.

Note that air conditioning filters come in many sizes, so be sure you are purchasing a correctly-sized replacement for your model of air conditioner. So once you decide what kind of filter to use, the trickiest part can be changing it. Where does the filter go? Does it matter which side is placed where? How can I dispose of the old filter? All valid questions for someone who has never changed an HVAC filter before. Hopefully the following will give you the confidence needed to begin changing your filter regularly and protecting your HVAC system. Determine Placement: AC systems usually have 2 major parts, an indoor piece and an outdoor piece. (For animated examples and details visit our cyber showroom!) The outdoor piece is characterized by a louvered housing with a large fan inside which helps condense and cool the air; this is likely the more familiar equipment for homeowners. The indoor piece is usually going to be housed in the attic or in a utility closet in the home; this is the part of the equipment that usually houses the filter, however note that some designs will filter before the indoor equipment at the air return grille, often seen in apartment HVAC designs.

If your unit resides in a closet, chances are the filter will be located towards the bottom of the equipment. If in the attic, the filter usually goes towards the front of the unit, or the end farthest away from the duct work. Access should be easy and require no extra tools besides your fingers. If you have a filter behind the return air grille, this may require a screwdriver to complete a change. In most cases visual inspection may be enough to determine the need for change. Presence of large chunks of dirt and dust are usually signs that it is time to replace. However some filters actually perform better with some dirt buildup, so make sure to observe manufacturer guidelines when in doubt. PositioningWhile most filter manufacturers mark their filters with the intended air flow direction, you also have to know which way the air is going inside of your system to be successful. The easiest way to tell is to take note of the filter you remove. Which way is it installed now? If you want to be extra sure you are doing it right, just know that the air is always flowing INTO the unit where the filter is housed.

This means that the air flow direction arrows should point towards the rest of the machinery, away from the air return grille.( A best practice for filter and HVAC professionals is to date the filter when installing so you know how long it has been in place.) Want to make sure your unit is operating at top capacity? Try our maintenance program and get filter changing tips for free! For a limited time get instant savings on Central Texas' Best HVAC Maintenance Program. How often do you need to run a bleach and water solution through the condensate drain lines (of a heat pump) to keep the bacteria away? What are the recommended parts (e.g. 1 part bleach, 10 part water)? hvac air-conditioning cleaning heat-pump I tend to pour a cup of bleach down the line once a month. Without that at least in Florida you WILL get an algae backup in the line, which if you have bad overflow sensor can cause all kinds of fun water problems. If it is already blocked, just pour the bleach and let it sit.

Eventually enough algae will die and the block will clear itself out. Based on the comments, I think you are talking about the condensation line from the air handler. For the condensate, you shouldn't need to worry about bacteria. It's not like you are drinking from it, and it doesn't form a pool of stagnant water in your system (unless it is plugged). You do need to worry if the condensation line gets plugged up, however. If so, it will back up and flood your basement/attic (wherever the air handler is installed). On a humid day, the system can extract quite a bit of water from the air. You don't want that on your basement floor. The water that drips through the lines is condensation, and therefore very clean. The water won't have any crud in it to deposit in the line. (Unless your air handler is filled with dirty air, then you have bigger problems.) Depending on where the other end of the condensation line leads, this might be a more likely entry point for dirt/scum.

If it is outside near the ground, mud could splash into it, bugs could crawl into it, etc. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to attach a Shop Vac to the far end of the line and let it suck. You could also use an air compressor to blow out the line from the inside. Another option would be to pour some diluted drain cleaner (Draino) into the line, and then flush it out with the hose. Make sure you flush it throughly. You don't want the cleaner to sit in there and eat the pipe. Cleaning the condensate line shouldn't need to be done often. Once a year at most. Most people probably never clean theirs. It only really needs to be cleaned if it becomes blocked or restricted, if you notice a build up of algae or other such grossness you can flush the line with a 16/1 water bleach mix (making sure you clear the blockage first). After the water bleach mix I would flush the line again with straight water a day or two later, just to make sure the bleach and whatever it cleans is cleared out.

As for how often. It really depends on your situation, keep an eye on it and if it starts to build up flush it again before it becomes blocked. If you find yourself cleaning it often (more than once a year), you may want to do some investigation to find the underlying cause. From an A/C engineer.... Personally I would never pour bleach into any part of an a/c system. You can purchase antibacterial coil cleaning solutions specifically designed to do the job. The heat exchanger is formed from copper and coated with aluminium fins, these can be corroded in harsh environments like near the sea side, even environments where vinegar is present. I dread to think what damage bleach will cause.. Pay the experts to do what they do best. From experience in dealing with customers who try and save a few pennys by doing everything on the cheap, it always ends up costing alot more in the long run. Don't be so mean................................... I moved into a new house in upper Florida, almost to the Alabama border and when I had problems with my air conditioner I called someone to come out to fix it.

The maintenance guy told me I should be running 1 cup of straight bleach through my PVC pipe that goes to the air conditioner monthly. I have experienced several types of residential HVAC draining systems. The most common is a basic, gravity run. A simple line that runs down hill from the condensate pan until it exits the residence and drips onto the ground. The other system I have seen involves a gravity fed line from the condensate pan to a reservoir that has a float, switched pump in it that pumps the condensate when it reaches a certain level out of the residence via a line that then drips onto the ground. I have lived in the south eastern USA my entire life, from LA,GA, To TX, and almost every home that I have lived in has had a clogged drain line at some point. The mass looks like the algae mats that grow in ponds and persistent puddles(none of those here in SA TX!). Once or twice a year, either the HVAC unit runs in short spurts or shuts down depending on the sensors and switches built into each brand/model of interior and exterior units or more often it isn't effective as normal at removing moisture from the air or heat.

Some systems have drain blockage sensors that determine when either the pan is overflowing or the drain is blocked. This usually mean that moisture is getting somewhere it shouldn't. Some HVACs beep, some flash lights, some turn off, you need to consult field reference information on the model you have. In a float pump based system the blockages can occur in a few different places. The PVC line that runs from HVAC to pump reservoir. The pump reservoir itself, or the line to the exterior. I find that the hottest water I can run from the tap and household bleach to be the most effective method dissolving the algae clumps and not damaging the plastic/copper system that is in place at my current residence. I run the hot water and bleach mixture through either the pump or the pvc tube depending on where the blockage is. I use flashlights and strategic placement or an assistant to inspect the pipes, that along with a process of elimination lets me know where the problem is. My pump has a different pitch to it when there is algae in it so that also makes it easy to pinpoint reservoir algae.