Five Common A/C Mistakes That Homeowners Make

A central air conditioning system is one of the most significant investments a homeowner will make in their own comfort—but not every homeowner gives their cooling system the care it needs to keep it running at its reliable best year after year.

Here are some of the most common mistakes homeowners make when it comes to caring for their central A/C system. These are mistakes you’ll want to steer clear of if you want to avoid costly cooling system repairs down the road!

Don’t Make These Home Cooling Mistakes

1. Not fixing air leaks. Gaps and cracks in your building envelope, especially in and around your windows, will cause your air conditioner to work harder than necessary to keep you cool. Spend some time during the spring caulking your window frames to prevent cool air from escaping. Your ductwork is a notorious leaker, too. In fact, as much as 15 percent of the air you paid to cool might never make it to your living space. Consider having your ducts checked and professionally sealed if you want to avoid this problem, especially if your cooling system is more than 10 years old.
2. Skipping routine annual maintenance. Today’s home cooling systems are high-efficiency wonders, but that efficiency comes at a price—namely complexity. In a modern, high-tech cooling system, annual maintenance is essential to keep intricate parts working correctly. Routine maintenance will reduce your energy usage and catch small issues before they turn into big problems and expensive cooling repairs.
3. Attempting to make their own repairs. There are plenty of ways to save money on cooling bills, but maintaining your own equipment isn’t one we’d recommend. As we said above, today’s central air conditioning systems are complex and require the skilled hands and eyes of an HVAC expert to fix—if you attempt to repair your own A/C, you risk damaging your equipment and could even void your warranty.
4. Forgetting to check and replace their air filters. A clogged air filter will inhibit air flow, forcing your air conditioner to overwork to keep you cool. Over time, that overwork will prematurely wear out parts and could even shorten the life of your equipment entirely. Changing air filters regularly will also greatly improve air quality in your northern New Jersey home.
5. Not going with a pro when shopping for an A/C installation. Buying a home cooling system from a big box store may seem like a great deal, but it really isn’t. For one thing, you won’t always get the best service. Perhaps more importantly, you’re more likely to get a mis-sized system based on an overly simplified formula.

An experienced HVAC pro will come to your house and give you a no-obligation estimate on a central A/C system installation based on the unique layout and features in your house, taking into account not just the size of your home but also the configuration of your space, how much installation you have installed, and more.

A seasoned pro will also know about current incentives that could save you hundreds on a new cooling system installation. Remember, you get what you pay for!

Looking to upgrade your home cooling system? Trust the pros at Bolkema Fuel. Contact us today to get a FREE, no obligation estimates on central air conditioning installations in Northern New Jersey!