4 Dangers Of Trying To Tune-Up Your
Southwest Oklahoma AC Yourself
Be Safe, Let The Professionals Handle
Your AC Tune-Up
For those who live in Southwest Oklahoma, your AC is always under a lot of pressure, especially during the heat of the summer! An AC tune-up is the best way to guarantee that it is operating to its fullest potential.
However, is an AC tune-up something that you can do yourself? We live in a do-it-yourself world and many people think do-it-yourself applies to anything, even AC tune-ups.
That’s really not the case and an AC tune-up is always best when handled by professionals. If you were to attempt tuning up your AC unit on your own, you risk these four dangerous situations happenings.
1. Voiding Your HVAC Warranty
Did you know that if you try to do any type of AC tune-up on your AC and you are not a licensed HVAC professional, you are going to void any type of warranty that your HVAC unit may have?
Most people get a warranty on their AC units to protect their investment. The warranty is meant to cover some repairs and ensure your AC unit is running properly.
If you opted to pay for a warranty, it makes no sense to do an AC tune-up on your own, risk damaging the AC unit, and voiding the warranty! While there may not be physical danger, it is definitely a danger to your wallet.
On average, homeowners pay anywhere from $3,200 to $7,800 for AC units. Are you confident enough in your DIY abilities to bet this amount of money on your skills? It is a gamble you should simply not take.
2. Your Safety Is In Question
Anytime you work on an AC unit, there are always safety issues involved. If you are not a trained HVAC professional, you are risking your safety.
How is your safety at risk? You risk a chance of:
- Electric shock and even fatal electrocution are always a possibility when working on an HVAC unit. Chances are higher for electrocution to happen when you are not familiar with the electrical components of your AC.
- Depending on what type of gas your AC unit is using, you increase the chances of suffering from a fire or an explosion, which can be deadly.
- Poisoning yourself from inhaling the gas in your AC unit is always a risk because you are not properly venting the system while working on it. Breathing the gas in can cause health issues that require medical attention.
If you work on your HVAC system on your own, you could suffer any of these safety issues or a combination of all three. Some people have tried tuning up their own AC only to end up severely injured or even dead.
3. Equipment Could Become Ineffective
Let’s say that you tried to tune up your AC unit, and it worked. While the chances of succeeding are very slim, you’re going to find that you could make the entire system run ineffectively.
An ineffective system is going to result in higher energy bills and ultimately having to call a professional because the system is wearing down faster than normal.
So while your hack may have worked for a couple of months or even a year, ultimately, you will have to pay a higher repair bill or replace the entire AC unit.
4. Repair Time Will Be Longer
One of the dangerous aspects of trying a do-it-yourself repair on your AC unit or a tune-up is the fact if there is an issue, anything you do without professional training is probably going to result in a longer repair time.
Why the increase in repair time? Usually, the service technician will arrive at your Southwest Oklahoma home to discover your DIY attempt has caused more damage.
In the end, you could sit in your home without AC while waiting for more than one repair to be made to your AC unit… and all because of a poor tune-up you tried yourself.
What Can You Do To Your AC Unit
Now that you understand there are dangers in trying to tune-up your own AC unit, you may wonder what you can do to your Southwest Oklahoma AC unit.
There are several maintenance tasks you can do every month, or every other month, to keep your AC unit in great shape. These maintenance tasks offer no danger to you.
Routine maintenance tasks include:
- Make sure you change your AC filter regularly. Filters should be changed anywhere from 30 to 90 days depending upon the type of filter you are using.
- Keep grass clippings and any type of shrub cut away from the outdoor unit. Allowing for proper airflow to the outdoor unit makes sure your AC is cooling more efficiently.
- Take your water hose and wash off the outdoor coils of your AC unit to protect it from dirt/debris/cobwebs, which can affect the air being drawn in by your outdoor unit.
- Clean out your vents when you can, either monthly or bi-monthly. Cleaning vents helps to ensure your AC unit is properly circulating air throughout your home.
These types of routine maintenance items are done to protect your AC. They are at no risk to you but can be a way you can actively help prolong the life of your AC unit.
Let Robinson Air Handle The Repairs
The lesson you need to take away is that any type of AC tune-up is best left to the professionals. It is not worth trying to perform a do-it-yourself AC tune-up when it can put your life at risk.
If your Southwest Oklahoma AC needs a tune-up, then call the professionals of Robinson Air at 914-737-9991. We can give your AC the tune-up it needs to run efficiently.