The appliances in our home – from the refrigerator and stove-top to the water heater – are so taken for granted that we are shocked when one breaks down. After dealing with the crisis, we tell all our friends about the problem the next day – “Can you believe it – the water heater just stopped working! Gee, it was only 22 years old! We had to take cold showers!”
When you think about it, the appliances in our homes and apartments hold up pretty well without any attention on our part. Most of these appliances, such as heating and cooling components, and kitchen appliances, chug along just fine without any attention. The fact is, all of these devices can last longer and save us money if we follow a few simple tips. Imagine that water heater or that compressor outside giving us a few more years of life and saving those repair dollars for when we really need them.
Take out a calendar and mark on it the few times a year that you’ll go through this checklist. Spring and fall are always good times to do this, since we’re taking care of other household chores and it won’t seem as daunting.
In the kitchen: Pull out the refrigerator from the wall. Wow! Look at all that stuff back there! You’ll find all sorts of things that became lost during the year, including Fluffy’s mouse and Fido’s chew toy. Vacuum and wipe down the coils, if your unit has them. You might see a vent cover – pull this off and vacuum it. Clean and vacuum the floor. This cleaning insures that air flow is good around the unit and the motor will last longer as a result. After you push the unit back in, check the door seals and wipe them clean. Now give the toys back to Fluffy and Fido. When they go missing, it’s probably time to clean again.
Air conditioners and air quality appliances (such a de-humidifiers and air cleaners): As a home inspector, I find clogged air filters about 70% of the time. I am sure you are in the minority, aren’t you, because I’m sure your filters are clean… but check them anyway. Make sure you find all the filters… sometimes there will be a return duct you forgot about. This is an item that is best put on the calendar monthly, because it’s one thing that will really make a difference in your monthly electric bill. When the ducts have clean filters, everything in the system is more efficient, and the ductwork stays cleaner. If you have a through the window air conditioner, change this filter monthly also. You can buy disposable filters or filters that you can clean every month. You can also purchase a can of filter coating spray in most home improvement stores that will help the filter trap even more contaminants – and this spray combined with the cheapest filters will do a wonderful job keeping your indoor air clean and fresh.
Now go outside to where your air conditioning compressor is. This outdoor unit – the compressor – depends upon air exchange to work efficiently. Take a garden hose and clean this unit along the sides where you’ll see what looks like a radiator. These are called coils and dirt buildup here should be cleaned off. Check around the base of your compressor unit and clean away any debris that you see – leaves, rocks, and anything else that is in the way of air flow.
To make sure your heating and cooling appliances serve you well year after year, consider a maintenance agreement (usually about $150 a year) with a good local HVAC company. Regular service checks (Fall and Spring) will be the other half of your own good care and your equipment will last longer and cost less to operate.
