Air conditioner service

An air conditioner that never gets serviced runs “well enough” for a few seasons, then starts to smell, drip into the room or cool less and less. The usual culprits are clogged filters, a dirty coil and a blocked condensate drain. A yearly air conditioner service, ideally before summer, sorts out most of these problems.

What an air conditioner service covers

• removing and washing the filters in the indoor unit;
• cleaning and disinfecting the evaporator coil;
• clearing the drip tray and condensate drain, and checking water drains outside;
• inspecting the outdoor unit: leaves, dust, brackets and pipe insulation;
• testing cooling and heating modes and measuring the outlet air temperature.

When a service is not enough

If the unit still cools poorly with clean filters, it may be short of refrigerant. Every leak has a source, usually at the joints, and topping up gas without fixing the leak only buys a short break. In Poland only a technician with an F-gas certificate may work with refrigerant, so mention in the job that you suspect a gas leak. That way you hear from tradespeople who hold the certificate.

How to prepare for the visit

• clear the space under the indoor unit, where the handyman sets up a ladder and dust sheet;
• check there is access to the outdoor unit: balcony, roof or a wall facing the yard;
• note the model from the rating plate and attach a photo to the job;
• describe the symptoms: smell, dripping, noise or an error code on the display.

Common questions