Regular service of your car air conditioning system goes a long way in enhancing its life and optimal functioning. While regular maintenance expense may pinch you, it is better than being aggrieved about spending a huge chunk of money to get it replaced. Owing to lack of maintenance, it is possible that your car air conditioner may become irreparable.
Maintenance, to most people, appears as an avoidable expense, but regular maintenance can save you from some very large unavoidable expenses in the future. Here’s why it is highly recommended to service car AC on a regular basis.
# Air conditioners need regular check-ups and service
The efficiency of air conditioners is measured by seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). This unit indicates the amount of cooling output produced per unit of energy consumed. Higher the SEER, better is the efficiency of the air conditioner.
It is observed that car air conditioners which are not regularly maintained lose their efficiency with time. But with regular maintenance you can hope to regain most of the lost efficiency, and thus extend the life span of your air conditioner.
As part of regular maintenance, every two years you need to restore the cooling system with gas and lubricants. Air conditioning systems tend to lose a small portion of refrigerant yearly, and hence it is important to get it checked and serviced at least once every year. A sign of lower refrigerant level could be a decline in cabin temperature in your car.
# Reduces the risk of compressor failure
With regular checkups, you can ensure that the air conditioner has no refrigerant leaks. In case a refrigerant leak goes unidentified for long, it will damage your air conditioner’s compressor. Refrigerant leak has an effect on oil circulation. If the refrigerant is below a certain level, it will cause overheating, and thus prevent the oil from returning to the compressor, causing early damage to your compressor.
With regular check ups you can also trace other potential problems that could lead to compressor failure. Some of the other causes that lead to potential failure of a compressor include high refrigerant pressure caused due to excessive contamination or blockage of the condenser because of some debris.
# Economics of regularly maintaining your car AC is favorable
Car air conditioners have a finite life and the extent of it depends on how well you maintain it. It has been proven that regularly well-maintained car air conditioners not only last longer but also provide superior comfort. The best part of regular maintenance is that you notice the problems before they are magnified.
Hence you save on these major expenses by incurring small expenses on a periodic basis. So, if you calculate the present value of regular maintenance, expense is significantly lower than the present value of the large unforeseen expenses. Beyond providing you driving comfort and pleasure, maintenance also saves you money in the long run.
Follow some good practices to improve AC life
Even if you do not need air conditioning, it is a good practice to run the AC at least once a week for about 10 minutes. This is important to maintain the gas pressure for the proper functioning of the compressor. While you do so it is advisable to keep the fan speed at the highest and cooling temperature at lowest.
To clean out too much humidity that may cause unpleasant odor, run defrost mode for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Use your air conditioner in winter as well, to remove moisture from the car cabin.
Wrap up
Regular maintenance of ACs enables proper system refrigerant and lubrication levels, which cuts down the risk of premature compressor failure, thus helping you to enjoy optimum cabin temperature.
There are reliable car air conditioning Brisbane companies which offer periodic car air conditioning service and even car air conditioning repair. Take advantage of these companies and maximize the life of the AC system in your car.
Author Bio: Shivani Sharma is associated with Mr.Cool, a reputed leading automotive air conditioning specialists in Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and other parts of Australia. If you are looking for car air conditioning services get in touch with Mr.Cool.