An important time to schedule air conditioning service is in the spring before the weather gets hot. A technician will check your equipment and get it ready for the hot season to come. Then you won't have to wonder when you turn your AC on whether it will work or not. Here are some important steps your air conditioning service might do when performing AC maintenance.

Clean Parts That Need It

Your air conditioner is outside, so it might get dirty during the off-season. However, since rain can wash dirt off, it might be fairly clean. The AC maintenance technician will check all the parts to see how they survived the winter. The condenser may need to be cleaned out and the coils might need to be cleaned off so the refrigerant works well.

Another important part to clean is the fin area. Dirt, tree debris, and grass clippings can get caught in the fins and restrict airflow. Cleaning and straightening the fins is an important part of AC maintenance. The air handler also has parts that might need to be cleaned, such as the evaporator coil and blower fan.

Service The Parts

Hopefully, the only thing the technician will need to do with the refrigerant is use a gauge to test that it's full. You'll want to know the refrigerant isn't leaking and that it is full and ready to keep your home cool. If the level is low, the technician has to find the leak and repair it. That can be time-consuming, so they may schedule that work for later.

The thermostat needs to be working properly for the air conditioner to work efficiently. The AC technician may test and calibrate the thermostat for you. They may also take the cover off to check the insides and clean out dust. They may also give the wires a quick check to make sure they are all tight and in good shape.

In addition, the air conditioning service may check the parts that operate the fan and service them as needed. This includes the motor and capacitor.

The technician may check your filter too and remind you of the importance of changing it monthly or as often as recommended by the manufacturer.

When you have an annual AC tune-up completed, the technician checks your equipment parts that need to be functioning well for your AC to work all summer. If a part looks like it needs to be replaced soon, they may go ahead and do it so it doesn't malfunction in a few weeks and cause your AC to break down.

For more information on air conditioning services, contact a company near you.