Give your AC a little love
It's August. It's going to be over 100 for the next several days (weeks?). Your air conditioner deserves a raise for how hard it's working to keep it mildly comfortable inside. Let's talk about what you can do to extend the life of your air conditioner so that it survives these last hellscape weeks of summer.
In the summer, our systems run almost all day. Not necessarily 24 hours, though. If yours is running constantly you need to call a tech. But because of the strain our heat places on them, you can expect your air conditioner to need service.
Some love for filters
Beyond simply the heat, we have lots of dust and pollen in our air (duh, cedar fever). These particles can make your air conditioner work harder. The indoor evaporator coil is where heat actually gets pulled out of the air, and it needs steady airflow to work efficiently. If dust and debris settle directly on the coil's fins, it insulates them and reduces heat transfer. The filter prevents those particles from entering your system. If airflow across the coil drops too much, the coil can get cold enough that condensation on it freezes into a block of ice. If that happens, you have to turn the entire system off to let it thaw (and change your filter). Finally, filters protect the blower motor, keeping them from getting weighed down with a layer of dust that makes it harder and less efficient for them to spin. How often should you change your filter? It depends. Do you have a pet? Multiple? Change it more frequently. Regardless, don't go more than 90 days without changing your filter.
Maintenance
Besides changing your filter, you also want to be sure that you're not restricting air flow around any of your system intake vents. These are typically larger vents that pull the ambient air into your air conditioner. These are not the vents on the ceiling where the cool air comes back into the room.
Your condensate drain line is another area that could use a little maintenance love. A little splash of vinegar down the condensate drain line helps avoid clogs. If you have a clog, the condensate will back up. Your system likely has an automatic shutoff if the drain line backs up, that's to prevent catastrophic leak damage. Pour a little vinegar in that line once in March, June, and September and you should be good to go. While you do that, check your drain pan under the indoor unit for standing water or rust which are signs of a clog.
Check your outdoor unit and make sure that there are no plants, fences or other structures that will block air flow. Rinse the outdoor coil and fins with a garden hose (not a pressure washer) if it hasn't rained recently.
The insulation sleeve on the copper refrigerant line running to the outdoor unit degrades in UV and heat over the years. If it's cracked or missing, the system loses efficiency. It's an easy replacement.
Duct checks can be performed by air conditioner techs if your system isn't cooling as efficiently as you'd like. Leaky ducts waste cooling capacity.
Air Conditioner problems
The biggest air conditioner problems that require a maintenance technician service call include refrigerant problems, electrical component failures, compressor failure, and wiring issues. With a little maintenance, you can make it easier for your air conditioner to keep you cool all (hot) summer long.