Our Air Conditioners Are Actually More Like Us Than We Might Think:
If you’re a science fiction buff, you might be familiar with the concept of a Cyborg, a part human and part robotic creature, first envisioned by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843 in a story called, “The Man That Was Used Up.” The part-man-part-machine idea has been used over and over since Poe, later appearing in Star Trek and Star Wars, and countless of other futuristic books and movies.
I’m not exactly talking about “cyborgs” here, but I do want you to consider the idea that our air conditioners are like us.
Before you write me off as being crazy, think about this.
Have you ever had a physical problem that you didn’t know about until you got a check-up?
- A small rise in your blood pressure, unchecked, could result in a stroke.
- A gradual increase in your blood sugar levels can push you, unknowingly, into diabetes.
- A blocked artery, without detection, could easily result in a heart attack.
- A tiny cut, left untreated, might generate infection which can inflame skin and inhibit movement.
Our body needs occasional check-ups to find small problems before they result in big ones.
If we didn’t know about high blood pressure, rising blood sugar levels, clogged arteries, or mounting infection, we would run the risk of a major health emergency.
The same is true for our air conditioners.
Air Conditioners Need Check-Ups, Too
Some people think that machines are machines, manufactured out of metal, alloys, plastics, resins, and indestructible materials that never need replacing.
Those people are wrong.
Machines function in a real, biological world with the forces of climate, animals, geography, and humans working around them. Mix the human world with the mechanical one, and things can go wrong.
Our Air Conditioners, like us, need routine physical check-ups to catch small problems before they become big ones.
Think of it this way. Would you buy a car and never have its tires checked? Would you spend all that money for a vehicle and never have the oil changed? Could you drive a car forever without wearing out the brake pads?
No.
The same is true for our air conditioners.
All machines need a little routine maintenance.
Here Are Five Great Reasons to Get Check-Ups for Our HVAC Systems
- Routine, preventative maintenance catches small problems before they become big, expensive ones. The truth is, most people don’t even think about their HVAC systems once they’re installed. They work. They work well. But like our bodies and our cars, small problems that we can’t see can be caused by outside factors. Routine check-ups make sure that everything is in top-notch working condition and nothing has gone wrong.
- Check-ups – what ServiceOne calls “Precision Tune-Ups” – improve the efficiency of your HVAC unit because we make it so that your unit doesn’t have to work harder than it has to. We change the filters, monitor the amperages, check refrigerant, thermometer calibration, flush the drain line, and lubricate moving parts. The smoother your unit works, the more efficient it is and the more money you save.
- Taking care of your system protects your warranty. Did you know that most companies don’t warranty your system if you can’t prove that you’ve been taking care of it? Often, equipment failure happens when a system has not had routine, preventative maintenance. Protect your investment by giving it regular check-ups.
- You already do maintenance on other types of equipment. We probably all get our vehicles’ oil changed once in a while. We might get our lawnmower blades sharpened. We probably scrape the grate on our grills occasionally. Why wouldn’t you take the same kind of preventative “medicine” on your air conditioner and heating system?
- The industry recommends it. The best practices of air conditioners and heating units recommend that we do maintenance on our system two times per year. Once in the spring to make sure your air conditioner is ready for the really hot weather, and once in the fall to guarantee that your furnace is ready to go if the need arises.