The most important thing that you can do to limit your cooling costs and keep your air conditioner working as efficiently as possible is to properly maintain your cooling system. Listed below are three maintenance tips that you can follow in order to keep your air conditioner working efficiently.

Check the Air Intake Filter

One maintenance task that is frequently overlooked by many homeowners is checking the air intake filter, which is a major problem because a lot can go wrong when the air intake filter is clogged. The air intake filter is responsible for filter dirt and other debris from the air that is being drawn in and sent to your air conditioner for cooling, which means that a clogged air filter will allow more debris to reach the air conditioner and provide decreased air flow to the air conditioner. 

This will lead to higher utility bills as the air conditioner overworks itself to cool your home despite the decreased air flow and reduced indoor air quality. The air intake filter can be found in the vicinity of your furnace behind a large square or rectangular grate that is usually clipped into place. If your filter is of the reusable variety, you can typically clean it with a vacuum cleaner's hose attachment or a basic hand vacuum.

Clean the Duct Network

Another important maintenance step to take in order to keep your air conditioner working efficiently is cleaning your duct network. A dirty duct network can serve to reduce the volume of air that is reaching the rooms throughout your home.

As a result, the temperature in those rooms is not dropping quickly enough, which causes the thermostat to tell the air conditioner to remain on until the required temperature is reached. This leads to your air conditioner being overworked and your utility bills increasing quite a bit. 

Inspect the Air Conditioner's Fins

Finally, you will want to inspect your air conditioner's condenser fins in order to keep the air conditioner in good working order. Since the condenser fins are located on the unit itself, it is not uncommon for the fins to become clogged with dirt and other debris that can be pulled into the unit when it is sucking in air or due to the wind. In addition, the fins are fragile, which causes them to become bent easily.

The fins on the condenser will greatly reduce the air flow to the air conditioner if they are clogged or bent, which can cause long-term damage to your air conditioner. If you spot any clogs or bent condenser fins, you can typically straighten the fins and remove the debris very easily with a butter knife or thin flat head screwdriver. 

Contact an HVAC contractor like Air Cool AC Inc in order to discuss what maintenance tasks he or she can take care of for you and what maintenance tasks are required in order to keep your air conditioner in good working order. Checking the air intake filter, cleaning the duct network, and inspecting the air conditioner's fins are just a few of the maintenance tasks that you can perform in order to keep your air conditioner working efficiently.