We really geek out when it comes to knowing all about air conditioning at Greer’s Banner Air of Bakersfield, Inc.. We make it our business to know every detail about caring for air conditioners and we’ve been doing so since 1950. Sometimes our customers share their curiosity, too.
Interesting questions
Recently, one of our technicians was performing an AC installation in Bakersfield, CA for a new family when the eight-year-old son asked him an interesting question. “What would happen if you never took care of your AC at all?”
Here’s how our technician described the situation: This little guy was pacing the hall playing a game on his phone. We exchanged hellos and both went back to our tasks. I noticed he started coming over to see the old AC. As I detached it, all the grime and filth inside started piling around me on the floor. He sat down nearby and put down his phone, fascinated.
“Oh siiiiick!”, he said.
“Ha, that’s actually not bad. You should see when people don’t do much maintenance on their ACs how dirty it gets if you think this is bad!”
“Have you ever seen one where someone didn’t do anything? What happens?”
At this point, his dad had joined in, also interested, “Yeah, what happens?”, he added to his son’s question.
What happens to an AC that’s never maintained over its full lifetime?
Early years
During the first year, the AC would probably run fine. By the second year, it would have some buildup in it weakening its ability to remove humidity from the air which you really need in addition to getting the air cooler. Overall, it would still be okay at this point but taking more energy to run than in the first year.
A few years in…
Buildup in the system over the next couple of years would seriously block its effectiveness. It would be obvious it wasn’t blowing air as hard or cooling the home as well and energy bills would definitely be on the rise. The AC could malfunction at any time, with clogs of nasty dirt, hair, and pet fur clogging it up.
End of the line
When you change air filters regularly (once every one to three months) and get annual maintenance, an AC should last about ten years. Let’s assume the unmaintained AC keeps running past the first four years, albeit less efficiently. At this point, it’s likely to break down at any time, and hardly likely it will make it ten years. Each year, energy bills will rise and the house will feel more stuffy and hot. Yuck! Add to that how gnarly the insides of this beast will be! While we could clean it out and restore it, we’d hate to imagine the havoc running this thing would do to your air quality.
“See all this dirt from today’s installation?” I said, gesturing to the visible amounts of rubble. “Imagine that going all around a house with even more to spare!” “Cool!” he said. “No thanks,” said his father, as he added, “so we’ll see you in six months for a checkup and maintenance!”
If it’s time for an AC installation in Bakersfield, CA, get friendly and reliable service from the experienced team at Greer’s Banner Air of Bakersfield, Inc.. Call us today at (661) 322-5858 to make your appointment and get started.
