Today we bring you Routine Maintenance Part II! We want to talk about the importance of keeping your air conditioning unit in the best working condition.  As previously mentioned, this is achieved through routine maintenance.  Look closely at the picture above.  Can you see what happened here?  A wire is completely burned through!

It's HOT Out There!

Because it's hot here in the Valley, these things do happen sometimes.  When temperatures outside reach well over 100 degrees (it can actually reach over 130 on your roof!), wires can disintegrate fairly quickly.  This picture shows the electrical section of an air conditioner.  The contactor is the piece that is burned, and it was destroyed through lack of maintenance, unfortunately.  This type of burning usually occurs when the air conditioner's compressor begins to over-amp (send too much electrical power through the wires).  One reason for this failure is that the unit’s condenser coils were not cleaned. This caused the head pressure to run higher, resulting in higher amperage than usual.  This led to the wire literally burning!  Another reason is that the wiring connections were not tightened down properly.  Proper fastening with electrical components is very important to prevent malfunctions.

Routine Maintenance Part II

Having routine maintenance done on an A/C means this small problem would have been caught.  The air conditioner’s coils would have been cleaned, and the wires would have been thoroughly inspected and manually tightened.   Instead, the wire burned, taking the contactor with it.  This means the air conditioner stopped producing cool air and may have shortened the compressor’s lifespan as well.

Proper routine maintenance cannot be overrated!  Clark Heating and Cooling performs a 22 point inspection on all maintenance visits. Our technicians carefully check the unit for any possible malfunctions, and advise on any needed repairs.  Have you scheduled a maintenance call for your air conditioner yet this summer?  If not, call us today  at 602.793.2477 or fill out our contact form!

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