Should You Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance Less Than Once Per Year?

If you're looking to save some money in your budget, it might seem like your annual HVAC maintenance visit is a good place to start. After all, is there any harm in skipping a year on maintenance? If your system seems to be working well, it might seem like you can easily defer that maintenance or even reduce your maintenance schedule from yearly to bi-yearly.

While it's true that your system is unlikely to suffer any catastrophic failures if you skip a year of maintenance, it's also a poor way to save money in the long run. Keeping up with annual maintenance on your home's air conditioning system is often one of the best ways to save money, even if it means spending a little more upfront.

What Makes Air Conditioner Maintenance So Crucial?

Your air conditioner's primary role is to transfer heat from your home to the outside environment. All air conditioning systems perform this task by using refrigerant as a heat transfer medium. While the core of this system is simply moving refrigerant through a loop between your evaporator and condenser coils, many more components are necessary to ensure the system remains reliable and efficient.

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for air conditioning systems to fail slowly over time. Numerous problems, such as refrigerant leaks or even damaged or dirty condenser coils, can reduce system efficiency. These issues will cost you more money on your utility bills, but they can also cause stress on more expensive components, such as the compressor.

In many cases, you may not notice that these problems exist, especially if they're due to maintenance issues that develop slowly over time. Nevertheless, your system will operate less efficiently and be more prone to severe failures. Routine maintenance helps prevent many common problems from developing and allows technicians to spot issues before they can cause serious damage.

Why Should You Stick to Annual Maintenance?

There's nothing magical about the 12-month mark, but annual maintenance is a good idea since it means you're servicing your system at least once per cooling season. Running all summer long can put a lot of stress on your air conditioner, and the cooling season is when issues are most likely to develop. Going multiple seasons without maintenance can create excessive wear and tear on your AC system.

Yearly maintenance is also a good way to catch and avoid problems that might stop your system from working when you need it the most. Catching a minor problem during a routine maintenance visit can give you plenty of time to deal with it, while waiting for a catastrophic failure might mean sweating through some hot summer days.

Although no hard and fast rule says you must service your air conditioner once per year, doing so offers many benefits and few drawbacks. Keeping your system in peak operating condition means you'll save money on utility bills and avoid potentially costly emergency repair visits. 

For more information about air conditioning maintenance, contact a local company.

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