5 Expensive Problems You Might Face Skipping Annual AC Tune-Ups

If you’re like other homeowners, then you rely on your air conditioner to keep you cool. When the warm weather comes out, there’s nothing like being cool and comfortable in your own home. Thanks to your air conditioner, your home is a safe space from the heat.

Maintaining your air conditioner is an essential part of staying cool. Without a regular AC tune-up, you risk having a broken system at the most inconvenient time. It gets worse, though. By skipping your annual AC tune-up, you’ll have more to deal with than just an AC repair.

Avoiding annual AC tune-ups can cost you down the line. We’re here to tell you what problems you’re likely to run into and why your annual AC tune-up is so crucial.

The Importance of Regular AC Tune-Ups

The importance of a regular AC tune-up cannot be understated. Just as you rely on your AC for cool air and comfort, it depends on you for maintenance and upkeep.

Preventative maintenance ensures that there is nothing wrong with your air conditioner. During these appointments, technicians can prevent minor issues from becoming system-ruining disasters. Before we talk about what happens without your annual AC tune-up, let’s cover the tune-up itself.

Expensive Problems that Come from Avoiding Annual AC Tune-Ups

Now that we’ve talked about the tune-up service itself, we can discuss some AC problems that arise when you don’t schedule maintenance every year.

Here are five costly problems you may run into if you avoid your annual AC tune-up.

A Less Efficient AC

While this may not seem like an expensive issue off the bat, it actually is. An inefficient air conditioner has to work doubly hard to get the job done. That means it uses double the energy, which costs double the money.

That’s right—when your AC becomes inefficient and uses more energy to work, you will end up spending more money every month. This is especially true during the warmer months.

Even though an AC tune-up costs you upfront, it will save you money in the long run. It reduces the money spent on AC repair services, too.

Dirty Coils

Dirty coils are one of the leading causes of an inefficient (and expensive to run) air conditioner. The evaporator coil is located on the indoor unit. It ensures that the air flowing out of the unit is at the appropriate temperature.

A dirty evaporator coil can cause a reduction in the efficiency of your air conditioner. In addition, if the evaporator coil stops working, you’ll have to replace it. An evaporator coil costs upwards of $500, not including labor fees.

A Burnt-Out Condenser

The condenser coil is another essential part of your air conditioner. It is responsible for making sure the air flowing through your home is at the right temperature. When something blocks the condenser coil without being fixed, it can burn out.

Unfortunately, if the condenser coil dies or burns out, you’ll have to replace the entire AC unit.

Replacement can be costly, and if you want to avoid it, do preventative maintenance and schedule regular AC repair services for your unit.

Costly Leaks

There is refrigerant or working fluid in the coils of your air conditioner. This fluid is responsible for producing cold air to keep you comfortable during hot weather. What happens when it leaks, though?

When refrigerant levels get low, it causes the condenser to work harder to produce cool air. As a result, the condenser burns out and needs replacement. However, improper maintenance also leads to refrigerant leaks.

Identifying the source and location of the leak is one part of the cost. To fix the leak and refill the refrigerant levels, you’ll pay an additional fee. You can avoid all of these problems with preventative maintenance.

Complete Compressor Failure

The compressor removes excess heat and humidity from the air in your home. When the evaporator coils become dirty, the compressor has to work doubly hard. That can easily cause the compressor to fail.

Replacing the compressor is expensive. You can expect to spend between 1,100 and 1,800 on a new part. That price doesn’t include the labor fees, but preventative maintenance costs less.

Get an AC Tune-Up Today

You should hire a licensed and experienced HVAC technician to complete a tune-up. Of course, you can inspect the unit yourself. But, the actual maintenance will need to be provided by someone trained to do so.

Stith Plumbing & HVAC serves Elm Springs, AR, and the surrounding communities of Springdale and Johnson. For a professional AC tune-up, you can trust, contact our team today.