Regular system maintenance is very important for the health and longevity of your AC system. Throughout the year, the air conditioning system goes through regular wear and tear. In order to be certain that your AC unit is ready for the summer and the Heat and humidity, a full system maintenance tune up is suggested. Regular system maintenance includes all of the heating and air conditioning components as well as the ductwork. I prefer to have a maintenance appointment scheduled for the AC in the middle of april. Around here the temperatures tend to get warm and humid during that time of the year. Waiting longer than that is risky in my opinion. This year, I scheduled the maintenance appointment in the first week of May and temperatures were already 90° outside. I wanted to schedule the system maintenance earlier than that, but I was busy and completely forgot. Thankfully there were no problems with the AC unit. In fact, the maintenance technician told me that the evaporator foil still looked brand new. The AC system is 3 years old. Hearing that parts of the system still look new made me feel good about the maintenance that I do on my own. I change the air filter monthly and I make sure to keep the ductwork clean and free of debris. I also clean the condenser line and the drain. It only takes me about thirty minutes each month to handle the service and it helps the indoor air quality and the monthly energy bills. There’s no downside to taking care of your heating and AC components.