April 3, 2023
AC Maintenance in San Antonio, TX

Have you ever wondered what goes on during an AC tune-up? The short answer: a lot! A professional AC maintenance appointment includes an extensive checklist of items and spans the AC unit, ductwork, and thermostat. Professional HVAC technicians also use separate checklists for each make and model of air conditioner, meaning your unit gets a customized experience.

At Beyer Air Conditioning & Heating, we’ve performed countless AC tune-ups for homeowners in San Antonio. We have our appointment checklist down to a science. Although the specific tasks vary from brand to brand, cooling maintenance usually follows the same general steps.

Why Are AC Tune-Ups Important?

Many homeowners are under the impression that as long as their AC is working correctly, there’s no need to call a technician. However, regular maintenance is a great way to prevent future problems and repairs. Just like an annual doctor’s appointment helps keep you in excellent health, the same is true for yearly cooling maintenance.

Other than purchasing a house, a new AC is one of the biggest expenses a homeowner will ever have to make. It pays to take care of your current air conditioner and get as much life out of it as possible. Annual maintenance will help preserve your AC’s components and keep them from wearing down prematurely. With a solid maintenance routine, you can fully expect to get anywhere from 15 to 20 solid years out of your current unit.

Regular maintenance also boosts your cooling system’s energy efficiency. Units that are well taken care of use less energy to keep your home comfortable. This translates into lower energy bills and a smaller Carbon footprint.

Unlike your furnace, which lives safely inside your home, the most important components of your AC are exposed to the outdoors. The condenser unit sits on a large concrete slab in your background. Being outside all year round can cause additional damage to your AC. Weeds, sticks, dead leaves, grass clippings, and other natural debris can accumulate around and inside the unit. Yearly maintenance will clear out this debris and ensure your AC is clean and healthy at the start of the summer season.

Here’s what your next AC tune-up will include.

What’s Included in a Tune-Up?

Standard HVAC maintenance appointments generally have three stages: inspection, cleaning, and service. Healthy air conditioners typically only require inspection and cleaning. However, if we uncover any issues during the inspection, we’ll address them with on-the-spot repairs during the service phase.

1. AC System Inspection

Tune-ups typically begin with a detailed inspection of the equipment. Here at Beyer Air Conditioning & Heating, our technicians run through a 21 point inspection plan. The technician will assess the condition of individual components and make note of any potential problems that may be brewing. During the AC inspection, the technician will look at the drain pan, compressor, evaporator coil, condenser coil, and expansive valve. They’ll also check the refrigerant level and top it off if necessary. Depending on your needs, you may want to have the furnace checked at the same time, although some homeowners prefer a separate maintenance appointment for that.

2. Cleaning the Unit

After the inspection, the technician will move on to cleaning the unit. Over time, your cooling system naturally accumulates debris. This debris can be as small as dust and mold spores and as large as twigs and rocks. All this built-up material can seriously reduce your system’s performance, energy efficiency, and lifespan. Debris accumulation is inevitable, even if you’re diligent about changing the air filter every three months. However, regularly changing the air filter will usually cut down on how much dirt and dust the unit accumulates, so we highly recommend keeping up that task.

The AC cleaning process is extensive and thorough. The technician will fully clean each component of the outdoor condenser unit. They’ll begin by cleaning the air filter and condenser fins. Cleaning the filter and fins can prevent issues like improper cooling and ice formation. Next, the technician will move onto cleaning the evaporator coil and condenser coil. By removing any built-up dust and soot, the coils are much less likely to overheat. The technician will finish this phase by cleaning the drain and checking for leaks. AC drains are susceptible to clogs, so the technician will remove any built-up debris to prevent a blockage from forming.

3. Servicing the Unit

If we don’t discover any problems during the inspection and cleaning phases, we can wrap up the appointment here. However, if we do find an issue, we can usually fix it on the spot. If the problem is complex enough that we can’t do same-day repairs, we’ll promptly schedule a follow-up appointment so we can fix the issue as soon as possible.

This phase may involve replacing a worn-out part, fixing a leaky refrigerant line, or refreshing old fan blades. It’s much better to address issues like these while they’re still minor. Allowing them to worsen can cause the damage to spread to other parts of your AC and more expensive repairs. Of all the benefits of AC maintenance, this one is the most popular among our clients.

Signs Your AC Needs Maintenance

Each year your air conditioner goes without maintenance, the more its overall performance and efficiency will decline. You may not notice the signs if you just miss a single year, but over time, they’ll become harder to ignore. Eventually, your system will decline so much that repairs or even replacement is necessary. That’s why we recommend having your AC tuned up each year in the spring to avoid the hassle and headache of serious problems.

If your AC hasn’t been tuned-up in in a while, you may notice signs that it’s in dire need of some TLC.

Here are some signs that your AC is ready for maintenance:

  • Steadily rising energy bills
  • Unusually high indoor temperatures
  • Unit running constantly
  • Unit turns off and on unexpectedly
  • Uncomfortably high indoor humidity level

If you’re experiencing any of the above signs, then it’s time to call a cooling technician. The technician will determine if these are issues that maintenance can solve or if the system needs a more in-depth solution like repairs.

Your HVAC Maintenance Team

In need of a tune-up? Beyer Air Conditioning & Heating is the trusted source for AC maintenance in San Antonio and the surrounding communities. We’re proud to be a family-owned business with 40 years of collective AC experience. Our focus on quality means you can look forward to high-end service and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Our NATE-certified technicians will treat your home with respect. We’re happy to answer any questions you have and walk you through the service process. To demonstrate our dedication to our clients, we offer four competitive membership plans.

Whether you’re a brand new customer or someone we’ve worked with for many years, you can always expect the same high level of service. In addition to maintenance, we provide AC and furnace installations, replacements, and repairs. Beyer Air Conditioning & Heating is also your go-to partner for indoor air quality solutions.

Is your AC in need of professional attention? Call Beyer Air Conditioning & Heating today to schedule a comprehensive AC tune-up in San Antonio.

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