3 Tips for Maintaining Your Business's Central Air Conditioning Unit

When you own and operate a business, you want to keep your employees and customers comfortable. As part of this effort, you need to make sure that your building's air conditioning unit is running as efficiently as possible. To do so, use the following tips to help maintain your commercial air conditioning unit.

1.  Clean the Vents and Replace the Filter on a Regular Basis

One way you can keep your AC unit properly maintained is by cleaning the vents on a regular basis. These vents include the ones inside your building, as well as the slats on the unit's exterior casing.

While the unit is running, it sucks air in from the outdoors, which also pulls in dirt, dust, and other debris. As this dirt builds up, it interferes with the free flow of air throughout the unit.

Also, the dust and dirt inside of your building are pulled in through the hot air return vent. This accumulation of particles is then circulated throughout the system, dirtying up the vents. This scenario also makes the unit's filter clog up, so it too should be replaced often.

Not only does keeping the vents and filter clean help improve air circulation and performance, but it also helps prevent the buildup of bacteria that could lead to serious illnesses such as Legionnaires' disease. Keeping them clean also helps reduce the spread of colds and the flu virus that contaminate the AC unit and vent system.

To keep up with the cleaning schedule, try to perform both tasks at the same time each month.

2.  Keep the Space Around the Unit Clear

Dirt and debris are not the only things that will decrease the amount of air flow through your air conditioning system. Any physical blockages around the exterior of the unit will interfere with the condenser's ability to work efficiently.

If the condenser is not able to have full flow of air, it will be unable to cool the air and keep your building comfortable. Also, since the unit will continue running to try to compensate for the lack of airflow, the motor and condenser will have to work harder, which will put a strain on the system and lead to mechanical issues.

To keep this from happening, keep the space around the unit clear from all objects. These objects include tables, chairs, or even boxes that may be thrown out the back door that could enter the space around the unit. There, the lightweight cardboard could be sucked toward the condenser, where it will stick and interrupt the flow of air.

3.  Avoid Setting the Thermostat Too Low

Especially when you have a lot of people in your building on a particularly hot day, you may feel the need to turn down the thermostat as low as possible to keep the air inside your business cool. However, doing so will not lead to a cooler interior climate, but it will lead to problems with your AC unit.

If you keep the thermostat all the way down, the air conditioner will have a hard time trying to keep the building at that level of coolness. As a result, the unit will work too hard and become overloaded, which could lead to a burned out motor or a malfunctioning condenser. 

Along with following the above tips, you should also have professionals perform regular maintenance on the AC unit to keep it running smoothly and catch any issues early so that they do not become a huge problem. For more information about setting up regular maintenance, contact an HVAC company that offers commercial air conditioning services, such as Robison Air.