If my car's AC need service, how about the home unit? Central AC. As far as I know, the HVAC is in the attic. And the exhaust fan is outside.

It's been 7 years and still works great. And I want to keep it that way. Does it need servicing? Does the "R134" or whatever they use need to be replace?

 

Exhaust fan outside

Are you referring to the A/C Condenser?

 

I try to best describe the type of AC unit I have. Maybe I over did it because I know nothing other than turn it on, set my temp, and expect a high electric bill. Total newbie here.

I should have just leave the question as...

Do I need to service my home (central) AC unit?

 

You should service it every so often, and a servicing includes these things:

1. Replacing filters
2. Pouring Bleach/water mixture or Vinegar down the drain tube, then sucking drain tube clean of debris.
3. Opening up of the unit to clean out the coils
4. Check function of "safe T switch"
5. Clean outside unit fins + unit
6. Check Refridgerant levels

The only thing I would advise you NOT to do yourself is 3 and 6. Filter replacement is easy and should be done every 30-90 days depending on the filters you are using.

As far as the bleach mixture, I pour a 1/2 cup of bleach followed by a gallon of water into the drain. This helps kill mold and other bacteria in the drain that can clog it. You can also use 1 cup of vinegar instead. I let it sit for at least an hour and then take a shop vacuum and suck all the water out from the outside drip lines and then put another cup of vinegar into the lines to keep it clean.

4. Where the drain connect to the unit, you'll see a T pipe with a cap and some wires sticking out of the cap. This is the safe T switch is and it's basically a switch that will cut off power to the A/C if the tube backs up or fails to drain. Dip it in a cup of water and make sure the A/C shuts off.

5. The outside unit can be cleaned VERY easily. Simply spray some citrus cleaner on it and then spray off the sides of the unit with a gentle stream of water (or the shower function on the changeable heads). Spraying from the insides or straight down into the unit isn't necessary.

 

^^^ yup. Cleaning the coils is a big energy saver too.

 

If I rarely use my central AC (i.e. 4-5 times a year maybe for few hours when I host parties) should I still have my AC serviced and if so how often?

 

Bunch of wasted money IMHO. A service tech wanted to replaced a condenser fan for $997. I bought the parts for around a third and the unit gets colder than it has in 10 years.

Of course this gets to my fundamental belief... I won't pay for somebody to tell me a part (car or otherwise) is o.k. I only pay when it breaks.

 

I wouldn't get it "serviced" per-say , however I'd still pour vinegar down the drain once every 2-3 months or so to ensure no mold starts growing in it. As well I'd hose off the outside units before using them because bugs and spiders and stuff clog up the fins and cannot transfer heat to the air so the unit has to run longer.

Other than that it should be fine. If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you don't use central air? Window A/C's or just no need for A/C?

 

Hey thanks for the reply. I have lots of windows, 16 foot teak sliding door by living room, nice breeze and ceiling fans i installed myself in each room. We usually have nice tradesinds. Ill take your advice on bleach. It's how I keep my electric bill at $100/month.

 

That's a brilliant strategy. No wonder you're the professor

Routine maintenance can, in a lot of cases, prevent things from breaking (prematurely). It's like any other mechanical device (ex. car).

 

Yes, I do also change the filters myself. As for "drain," which one and where? The only drain I know is outside and that's the condensation drain. Is that the one?

 

yes, the condensation drain! Pour the bleach/vinegar from the outlet on the handler so it has a chance to go through all the piping. Then let it sit and vaccum out the system from the drain outside.

 

If it's been that long I'd definitely get it serviced. I had mine checked two weeks ago for the first time in nearly six years. The service tech was here nearly two hours (a lot of that time was spent cleaning the outside condenser) and only charged $85 for the visit. However, the unit was also 10 lbs low on freon and freon ain't cheap. I think the final price was around $190 but once he was done the air temp coming out of the unit went from 63-degrees when he started to 49-degrees once he finished. Now the A/C only runs for a five minutes before shutting off while before it would run for 30-45 minutes and then turn back on 15-minutes later. He showed me the proper way to clean the condenser and where to check the temps so that I'd now when another service call was warranted. Apparently most units are designed to drop the air temp by 20-degrees so if you use an instant-read thermometer to check air temp going in to the unit and the temp when it exits and the difference isn't at least 20-degrees, something is wrong.