Our new house has two air conditioning units, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. One of the things that we knew the house needed, when we bought it, was an additional return for the downstairs unit. (Technically, we have an HVAC, which provides air conditioning and air heating, but we just call it the air conditioner.)
While he was here adding the return, I asked the technician to give both units a good spring cleaning. It was amazing – and a bit scary – to see just how much stuff had built up in the units over time. Even though relatively new, they had still managed to accumulate quite a bit of dust and debris. The tech was at the house for just a few hours, cleaning out the system, getting it ready for our hot Georgia summers, adding the return, and checking to see if the units were functioning properly.
I signed up for a twice-annual cleaning. The tech will come back in the fall. The total cost was just a few hundred dollars – and I think that both the service and the peace-of-mind, knowing that the air conditioning units will be clean, were well worth it.
Since the cleaning, the units run less and seem to be – though it might be my imagination – a bit quieter. Also – and this could be my imagination, too – the air seems to smell better. The whole house just feels cleaner. One of the things that I think we forget, especially those of us who like to pinch-our-pennies, is the value of maintenance. Sure, it cost a few extra dollars to have the units cleaned, but I feel like I am prolonging the life of the units, increasing their efficiency, and creating a cleaner home-environment, all at the same time.
What about you guys? Do you have your air conditioning units serviced regularly? Also, have any of you tried to do this yourselves? Is it hard? I’d love to hear from you, here in the comments, or over at at Twitter. Rock on.
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