I need to take better care of my A/C

After looking for some tips online I checked my air filter, and found it completely covered with dust, dirt, and pet dander.

The importance of planning ahead is something often lost on me. After last summer, though, I think I have learned a lesson about getting ready for problems before they arise. I was never a guy who got warranties, or bothered with service plans. If something broke I fixed it or got a new one, and just let it go until it needed to be fixed or replaced. Having a service tech come to the house once or twice a year for “preventative services” felt like wasted money to me. Last summer had me whistling a different tune, when my faulty air conditioning made the entire season a gruelling ordeal. As soon as the first heatwave hit and I turned on the A/C I felt that it was sluggish and weak. What’s more, the air coming from the vents was only slightly cooled, and not to the level of what I had set the thermostat to. So my problem was that the A/C worked a little, so it wasn’t fully broken but it seemed to be going in that direction. After looking for some tips online I checked my air filter, and found it completely covered with dust, dirt, and pet dander. I scraped it clean and put it back in, because it was the only air filter I had and a dirty one was better than none at all. When I finally had a tech come out to check the air conditioner, she informed me that the system was on its last legs. I promise I will take better care of the next one.

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