In-wall air conditioning units are helpful and efficient, and they're so small and easy to take care of that you might think they never need maintenance. That isn't completely true. They do need maintenance, some of which you can do yourself and some of which you're better off having an air conditioning company handle. Those little units can last a long time if you care for them right.
You Can Clean Filters and Inspect the Outside
What you can do is clean the filter and inspect the outer casing (both indoors and outdoors) of the unit. Cleaning the filter is easy; in most models, a light goes on to let you know the filter needs to be cleaned. This is a plastic screen that you pull out, wash with water, and then dry thoroughly before putting back in the air conditioner. When you inspect the outside, look for things like sagging (indicating something is wrong with the seal and box holding the air conditioner in the wall), cracks, unexplained stains, and so on. Then you'd call a maintenance company and ask them to check out these issues.
By the way, be very careful with the filter. While these filters are usually easy to clean, they are thin and thus can snap if you're not careful. Don't force the filter in or out of the air conditioning unit, and be very gentle with it when you wash it, especially the mesh portions.
Over Time: Seal and Other Issues Due to Age
Over the years and with regular use, the air conditioner will begin to show signs of age that include parts wearing out. The seals around the air conditioner unit can get old and need replacing, the condenser may become less efficient, the coils may need cleaning, and so on. Because these tasks would involve taking apart portions of the air conditioner (as opposed to just opening a panel to reach a filter), it's best if you call an air conditioning maintenance company.
Testing the Thermostat
One thing you can try on your own but that you should ask air conditioning maintenance techs to do when they work on the air conditioner is to test the thermostat. You want to see if your home is reaching – approximately – the temperature you have the thermostat set to. Placing a thermometer by the air conditioner as it runs can give you an idea of how the thermostat is doing.
Don't be worried if it's off by a degree or two because there are a bunch of factors that influence how cool your home actually gets. But if you think your home's been feeling too warm, the thermostat is set to a certain temperature, and your thermometer reading gives you a temperature several degrees above the thermostat setting, then you know the air conditioner needs some help. Having this done by someone doing maintenance on the unit can be helpful because they might be able to fix it then, in addition to the maintenance they're supposed to do.
Reach out to an AC maintenance contractor near you for more information.
Share12 July 2022
Every summer, I agonized over energy bills that would shoot into the stratosphere as a result of my efforts to keep cool in the heat. Every time I turned the temperature down, my bills increased. This summer, I decided to take some of the control over my energy bill back. I installed reflective film on my windows that reduced the amount of light and heat coming into the house. I started serving more cold meals or asking my husband to barbecue outside, so that my air conditioner didn't have to compete with the hot stove, and I started doing laundry at night to reduce appliance heat in the house at peak times. I also had ceiling fans installed. So far, the difference in my bill has been tremendous. This blog is a way for me to explore other ways to reduce energy drain during the summer months.