Why Skipping AC Maintenance Costs GTA Homeowners more than they Save

The False Economy of Neglect

Every spring, the decision is simple for all Homeowners in the Greater Toronto Area. Invest a little bit in professional air conditioning maintenance, or save the money and pray that it works out. It must be a difficult decision to leave the machine out of maintenance, particularly when it seems to be functioning really well. Taking a look inside an AC unit that has not been serviced will give you a better idea of why it is one of the most expensive risks a GTA homeowner can take.

The Slow Death of an Unmaintained System

An air conditioner is not going to break down suddenly without giving any indications. Every minute the condenser unit is running, it sucks in grass clippings, cottonwood seeds, dust and debris. These pollutants build up an insulating layer that trap the heat inside the system, instead of pushing it outside. The compressor then goes to work harder and for a longer period of time and consumes more electricity every week.

The same goes with indoor coils; they gather home dust and dander from pets that decreases their capability to take in the heat from within your home. This gradual reduction occurs without being noticed until one day, the compressor overheats and stops working for ever. A full replacement will cost $5000 or more. This could have been avoided by cleaning the coils as it would have costed under two hundred dollars.

The Refrigerant Leak That Everyone Misses

A charge is placed in the modern air conditioning system and is not to be replenished under normal conditions. If the amount of refrigerant is low, there is a leak somewhere in the system. If the system is not maintained, minute leaks will occur at the cores of the valves, brazed connections or at pinholes in the evaporator coils. They are very small openings from which the refrigerant is slowly released – which can take years at times.

The homeowner observes the system operates longer than previously, but still cools the home sufficiently and nothing alarms. The compressor works harder and harder, and heats up, as it attempts to circulate the refrigerant that it needs. Eventually the leak becomes larger and the cooling ceases completely, and a technician finds that the compressor has suffered some internal damage as a result of its prolonged overheating.

Now the AC repair needs to be done with both leak repair and replacement of the compressor, which mounts up to the cost of a brand-new system. The annual AC maintenance service includes electronic leak detection testing which is able to detect these small leaks when they are readily accessible and therefore easy and inexpensive to repair.

The Electrical Fire Hiding in Your Outdoor Unit

When the air conditioner is in use, the connection of electricity is constantly vibrating. With the passing of months and years, terminal screws loosen, contactors pit and arc, and wires form a resistance at connection points. Loose connections create heat, which can melt insulation and/or start fires in adjacent material.

Professional AC maintenance involves regular tightening of all electrical connections and a thermal imaging survey of all contactors and relays, to detect any electrical components that are running hot and may fail in a catastrophic manner. It may well be worth the AC maintenance expense, especially if the system is older and has been exposed to years of vibration and thermal cycling.

The Drain That Floods Your Finished Basement

Gallons of water are removed every day from the indoor air handler condensate line during peak summer operation. This narrow pipe will slowly build up algae, mold and mineral scale. This accumulation in an unmaintained system eventually results in the complete blockage.

Since there is no outlet for water, it spills over the drain pan and gets trapped in drywall, soaking carpet and dripping down interior walls into finished basement or ceiling below.

Several GTA homeowners have come home from their holidays to find thousands of dollars of water damage caused by a blocked AC drain. Professional AC maintenance consists of compressed air or cleaning solutions being flushed through the drain line, checking proper flow and checking the integrity of the drain pan for cracks or rust.

This twenty-minute process averts one of the most widespread and damaging AC breakdowns.

The Filter That Strangles Your Entire System

There is one very important reason to use the humble air filter — to keep dust and debris out of your equipment. If the air filter becomes clogged past its service life, it can significantly hamper air flow. The coil gets stuck in the cold state due to lack of warm air flowing through it.

The compressor is rapidly starting and stopping, and is abusing its internal moving components with each start. The blower motor tries to blow through the restriction, overheating and failing prematurely. These conditions are unknowingly created by homeowners who change filters on an irregular basis.

In addition to filter replacement as a routine part of professional maintenance, technicians also measure static pressure and airflow to ensure that the entire duct system is in good working order, enabling proper air flow. This measurement identifies restrictions which a visual filter check cannot find.

The Warranty That Disappears When You Need It Most

Compressor and part warranties from air conditioning manufacturers are long warranties; usually lasting for 10 years or more. The one universal requirement for these warranties is an annual AC maintenance performed by a licensed technician.

If after 8 years the compressor fails, and the homeowner does not have maintenance history to present to the manufacturer, the manufacturer will not compensate. Homeowner pays full price for a new compressor and labor.

Failure in a maintained system is free of cost to the part and due to lowered labor rates. You have all of these records of AC maintenance, and it seems like wasting paper to you, but that is the only thing that stands between you and a huge surprise bill. Only one service call is needed a year for those records to remain up-to-date.

The Comfort That Never Quite Arrives

There is a simpler truth beyond the financial and safety appeal. When the air conditioning is not maintained, it does not cool properly. Have trouble keeping warm on hot afternoons. They allow humidity to rise from ground level up through the home, making it feel damp when it should not. They fluctuate in a non-linear manner resulting in temperature changes between cycles of several degrees.

Homeowners that have allowed their systems to become out of tune come to accept these issues and no longer realize what a well-tuned cooling system feels like. A maintained system reacts instantly to the thermostat call, removes humidity decisively and keeps the temperature within 1 degree no matter how the outside temperature changes. Tolerated discomfort vs true comfort is only as much as the annual service call fee.

The Investment That Demands Protection

No rational homeowner would forgo oil changes, and then have engine replacement as a foregone conclusion. But every spring, GTA homeowners do this same calculation with their air conditioning systems only to discover they need to take action when the system breaks down.

Good protection is not very expensive compared to the value of the asset being protected. The homeowner that takes the time to schedule that spring AC maintenance appointment knows something the others do not until they are given an emergency replacement quote.

Preventive care is not cost. It is the only reasonable means to own costly equipment that you depend completely.