If you have a central air conditioning unit in your home, then you want to learn all you can about central air. Knowing how to properly care for it and provide it with regular maintenance will keep your system running smoothly and save you money on your energy bill. This article will help you understand your central air conditioning unit better.

The filter

Your central air conditioning system will pull air from the room through a filter. This filter is very important to the health of your system because it stops an excess of dust and other debris from making its way into the system where it can cause it to clog up. When dust gets into your system, it can also cause those in the household with allergies to be affected.

You should clean or replace your filter regularly to ensure it is clean. Each household will differ with regards to how often the filter needs to be checked. Households with pets will require the filter to be checked more often, as will those who live in a dusty region like the desert.

The Vents

It may seem like a good idea to close the vents in rooms you don't need to keep cool, but this can also cause an added strain on your central air conditioning system. The system is designed to disperse the air evenly through the ducts and out to each vent. When you close some of the vents you are causing that air to be dispersed in an unnatural manner the system won't handle well.

Keep the vents open about the same amount in each room so the air is running evenly throughout the house. If you are concerned that cooling these extra rooms is costing you more money, you can counter that extra cost by using window tint and ceiling fans to reduce the amount of work your system will go through to cool your home to the desired temperature.

The compressor

The compressor is the part that pulls the air in, cools it with refrigerated coils and pushes, it back out through the ducting to cool the house. One thing you should do to care for this part of the unit is to clear debris away from it. You should also have an HVAC technician, like those at Soco Air Conditioning, come out when the warm season starts to provide the system with professional maintenance to ensure the unit is in good shape before you run it.