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How Often Should You Get Your AC Serviced in Florida?

Wondering whether your air conditioner needs professional attention this year? If you’ve never paid for a tune-up or servicing before, you might not even realize air conditioners need to be seen by a technician on a regular basis. However, avoiding regular AC maintenance is a good way to end up with a poorly performing, short-lived air conditioner prone to frequent repair calls.

Today, we’ll look at what a typical schedule looks like for air conditioning maintenance, what a typical service visit looks like, what you stand to gain from regular service, and what special concerns you might have about your system in Florida.

Typical Schedule for Professional AC Servicing

For the vast majority of cases, professionals and manufacturers recommend you have your air conditioner — and your heating system — seen by an HVAC technician at least once a year, preferably just before the heat ramps up and you start really putting your air conditioner to work. This scheduling lets you tackle the harshest months of the year with your air conditioner in its best possible state — which, as we’ll get to later, is important for a number of reasons.

What Gets Serviced?

So, you see the terms like maintenance, or servicing, or tune-up, but it doesn’t really tell you what the technician is going to do when they visit. Let’s look at what a typical air conditioner service might look like:

  • Clean or replace the air filter, if you don’t do it monthly. This may be part of annual maintenance, or something you handle monthly as user maintenance.
  • Calibrate the thermostat to make sure it’s operating properly. Poor thermostat function can ruin your energy efficiency.
  • Check and tighten electrical connections. Secure electrical connections are key to safety and function.
  • Test key components for appropriate amperage and voltage. Inappropriate voltage or amperage can rapidly destroy key components of your AC.
  • Check all components for visible wear, damage, or corrosion. Worn or corroded parts are more likely to cause damage and waste energy.
  • Lubricate moving parts to minimize friction after inspecting them for wear. Smooth movement will save you energy over time.
  • Check and correct refrigerant levels for optimal function. Over time refrigerant levels deplete and your system can lose functionality; serious drops can indicate leaks.
  • Check and clear the condensate drain line. Condensation should always be managed properly, lest it freeze or otherwise cause water damage.
  • Inspect and test system controls and safety systems. The systems that manage your air conditioner and keep it running safely rarely need attention, but it’s good to be thorough.

Benefits of Annual Service

Annually servicing your air conditioner offers significant benefits to performance, efficiency, and system health. By keeping up with annual service for your AC, you can expect to see:

  • Improved energy efficiency throughout the year
  • Fewer incidents requiring repair services
  • A longer life span for your system
  • Better performance

Unique Concerns in Florida

Residents in Florida have a few special reasons to pay attention to regular maintenance. First and foremost, there’s the sheer amount of use a typical air conditioning system gets in a Florida home. When you’re pushing your system harder than average, it’s even more important that you keep up with regular maintenance to control costs and risk.

It may surprise you to know that you face another risk: Salt air corrosion can affect metals more than 50 miles inland, more than enough to affect the vast majority of the state. If you notice this affecting your air conditioner or other parts of your HVAC system, it may be worth scheduling more frequent maintenance visits, or investing more care with your own maintenance and upkeep efforts.

Curious about the benefits of AC service, or looking to schedule annual maintenance in the West Volusia area?

You can learn more about air conditioner maintenance or set up a visit by speaking with a member of the team at Jacob Heating & Air Conditioning today at (386) 337-3502.

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Jacob Heating & Air Conditioning HVAC Service Guarantees Ensuring Unmatched Quality with Our Service Guarantees in West Volusia County

At Jacob Heating & Air Conditioning, our passion for customer service and the quality of our work is deeply ingrained in our company culture. We're not just committed to helping our customers; we put our reputation on the line with every job we undertake.

Our team takes pride in our work and backs it with excellent service guarantees for our customers in West Volusia County and the surrounding areas. These guarantees include:

  • One-year guarantee on HVAC repairs
  • Prompt service for every visit
  • Cleanliness on the job
  • Complete customer satisfaction
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