Ben Franklin’s old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure certainly rings true when it comes to  air conditioning maintenance.  That is, it is truly all about what small steps you take today to properly maintain your HVAC system, that can help you to avoid shelling out lots of money down the road for more significant repairs. Here are a few recommendations that might help you to better prepare your air conditioner for the intensely hot Summers in the Phoenix, AZ metro area.

Change Your Air Filter Regularly

Sounds pretty obvious and it is certainly something very easy to do. Unfortunately, it’s an often overlooked  task that can keep your AC system running efficiently.  Especially if you tend to run your air conditioner long and hard throughout the scorching Summers, you may want to change your air filter about once a month.  Keep in mind that your AC unit’s air filter is designed to keep your AC system free of dirt, dust, pet hair and any other debris that restrict its air flow making your HVAC system operate properly and more efficiently.

Open All the Registers in Your Home

A register is simply an air vent that controls the air flow into a room from a heating and cooling system. Thus, when you close or restrict these “registers”…i.e. close the vents, this may not only put undue strain on your HVAC system, but it might end up causing damage to it as well. Understand that closing you air registers in your home won’t necessarily cause an immediate catastrophic failure of your HVAC system. However, it’s really all about the long-term wear and tear on your system that can ultimately lead to a costly repair. Therefore, we recommend that you keep your air registers open and unobstructed at all times.

Schedule Annual Maintenance

You may have heard this one before, but we’ll say it again. Get on an annual maintenance plan. It more than pays for itself because it can not only ensure that your HVAC system runs as it should, but it can extend the lifespan of your HVAC equipment. That means you may not need to replace your entire system sooner than later. Moreover, just because you’ve gotten away with avoiding ongoing maintenance for a few years, doesn’t mean that your AC system isn’t suffering so mechanical issues that could be resolved sooner and at a lesser cost that can extend the reliability and longevity of your system.

So, if you’re wondering how you can avoid incurring expensive repair bills for your air conditioner down the road, contact the heating system experts at Eagle Air Cooling & Heating by calling 480-748-1781.