If your home has air conditioning, then it’s quite likely you live in a region of the country where it’s not just a matter of comfort, but in fact healthy survival. The massive movement of population from northern states to the so-called “Sun Belt”, which runs from California, along the Mexican border, and then along both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts in the South, did not really start in earnest until air conditioning was an affordable mass market possibility for both commercial buildings and residential homes alike.

A good air conditioner does more than keep your home cool and comfortable at the temperature you set it for. It also can be used to manage the level of humidity in a home, as dehumidification is the primary way in which it returns cool or cold air to your home.For Coolbest,  when air is more dry, it’s easier to breathe and even for your body to sweat, if it needs to do so at all. Vapor, steam, and moisture don’t accumulate as much in the kitchen and bathroom, and if the humidity stays under 50 percent, many forms of mold can’t even spread if they are present in the first place.

Modern air conditioners can be reasonably expected to last a decade or more, although with the right maintenance and upkeep, fifteen years to a full generation of life cycle is possible. Still, your air conditioner will need regular attention, even if it has no obvious issues. Many models are recommended to undergo annual inspections or service calls, especially before the summer season where they will see a lot of use.

Attention will need to be paid more often if your air conditioner has demonstrated a potential leaking air conditioner or is known to have had them in the past. Learning how to do DIY checks for leaks is a great thing to do. The most immediate benefit is that you might be able to spare yourself the cost of too many service calls, especially if you are able to identify the source or sources of the leaks and patch them up on your own.

Over time, you can possibly get to know your system enough to do a lot of the maintenance and seasonal inspections on your own, further saving you money. Also, even for the parts of your system that you don’t feel comfortable working on by yourself, you’ll at least know enough about them to be able to tell when a technician really knows what they’re doing or talking about.

Hopefully, you’ve found a service provider or technician you can trust for reliable and honest service every time, but the day may come they’re not available, off for the week, too busy, or just moved on. If you wind up with someone you don’t know, you’ll hope getting three service quotes finds you someone good by process of elimination, but it doesn’t always work, especially if you’re just going for emergency service for fast relief. Knowing your own way around an AC unit, leaking or otherwise, helps you keep your service and bill rendered honest.

Last but not least, you’ll be able to better maintain your system for longer life, sparing you the eventual expense of a replacement as long as you possibly can.