Whether you have a large or small central air conditioning system in Knoxville, with proper care and maintenance, it should last for quite a while. Sometimes, however, people can do simple things which, in retrospect, should have obviously been avoided.
Some examples:
- Don’t block the air intake–air is vital to the process, so laying anything over the unit (a towel or clothes to dry) will significantly strain the motor. Always make sure there is enough clearance.
- Don’t block the vents–likewise in a home, it is easy to move a sofa or lay an area rug over a grate in the floor or cover an unsightly vent in the wall with a pretty painting.
- Don’t think it will run forever without cleaning the fins, vents and changing the filter at least once a cooling season;
- Don’t leave the units exposed in winter–always cover when not in use for long periods of time;
- Don’t bury the condensate drain in the ground–in central units it is vital that the drain is left with a clear flow away from the house;
- Don’t install the central unit on the ground–there are pre-made pads or mix up a little concrete and have the satisfaction of pouring a nice little pad yourself (and you can write your name in it too).
- Don’t steam clean or use hot water to clean the fins–damage and corrosion can easily be caused by the heat; flush with warm water or spray.
- Don’t overload the system with refrigerant– leave this refrigerant tasks to a Knoxville air conditioning professional
- Don’t remove the overload relay to force continuous running–VERY dangerous and a guarantee of damage.
For any AC repair or maintenance in the Knoxville area, give Hiller Plumbing, Heating & Cooling a call!
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