Central air conditioning can be a hassle to fix when something breaks or a certain component malfunctions. But there are also some very easy preventive maintenance stuff that you can do to evade many common problems that happen in central air conditioners.

There are two main parts to a central air conditioning system. These are the air handler, which is located on the inside, and the condensing unit, which is located outside. The air handler removes the hot air fromthe room and the condensing unit shoots it outside.

Check you air filter often, I would recommend replacing the air filter once a month if you use your HVAC system a lot. The air filter is located in the air handler, there is usually a slot to where you can insert it. If your air filter is dirty it will cause an air restriction and the unit will not cool like it should.

Make sure that you are making an effort to keep your condensate line free of sludge. You can do this by buying slime and sludge tablets and placing them in the air handlers drip pans every couple of months. Using a wet dry vacuum to suck out all the sludge is another way to keep your condensate line clean on your HVAC system.

If the unit shuts off you will have to reset the float switch which is located right by the air handler. Lift up on the switch and the HVAC system should restart, to prevent flooding you will need to clean the line out, unless you want to put a bucket there and keep dumping it.

There are two sets of coils on central air conditioning systems, one set is on the air handler while the other is on the condensing unit. To keep the inside coils clean, all you have to do is keep a clean air filter in there that fits properly, if you do not have a filter in at all the coils will get clogged up eventually and your HVAC system will not operate properly.

For the condenser coils, it is very important that there is nothing that will restrict the air being blown out. Some common things that cause problems are excessive leaves, plants and shrubbery rubbing up on the condenser, or having anything big right next to the condensing unit.

If you suspect that your hvac system is blowing hot air when you have it on cool, it could be low on Freon. This will have to be handled by a certified HVAC technician as you have to be licensed to handle Freon. If you have your hvac system set on cool, and the condensing unit is blowing out cool air instead of hot air then you might have a Freon leak.

These are just a couple of easy things that anyone can do, these steps do not require intense HVAC training. Follow these little steps in preventative maintenance and you will greatly increase the efficiency of how your HVAC system runs over the years.