Your home’s air conditioner has to do its hardest work when the weather is at its hottest. Don’t make its life any harder than it already is.

A well-maintained air conditioner can last anywhere from 15-20 years. However, if you ignore it, that time will be up a lot sooner. Your air conditioner represents a sizable investment and you want to get as much life out of it as reasonably possible.

With that in mind, here are 4 ways that you might be unknowingly shortening its lifespan.

1. Leaving it On All Day, Every Day

You can shut down your AC while you’re away at work, but nobody likes coming home at the end of a long workday to a sauna. Also, you may have pets at home that you don’t want to be too warm while you’re away.

You can actually come home to a nice cool house every day and still minimize your AC use by installing a smart thermostat and controlling your AC via a mobile app. You can set your home to a warmer temperature while you’re gone, then cool things down remotely as you’re on your way home.

These units will also learn your lifestyle pattern, so it can adjust to your typical desired temperature levels.

2. Letting Grass and Weeds Grow Around Your Condenser

Most air conditioning condensers sit outside your home on the side of the house, where you don’t see or think of it. Your yard care on that side of the house may also be a bit lax.

If weeds or grass cover the unit, this can restrict the airflow and may cause it to burn out prematurely. Be sure to keep the area nice and clear, while checking it for mud, debris or fallen branches.

3. Neglecting its Regular Maintenance

Your AC unit doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, but you should still get someone who does professional air conditioner repair services to inspect the unit once a year. But there are things you can do without calling in a professional.

For starters, you need to regularly check and replace your air filters. This simple step takes 2 minutes to do and it can add years onto your HVAC system’s life!

4. Trapping Heat in Your Home

Do you find that it’s hard to cool down the upstairs bedrooms after the AC has been turned off for a while? That’s because heat rises, so the cooler air from your AC is pushing the warm air up and trapping it. Open the windows on the top floor for a little while to let that heat escape.

This may seem counterintuitive, as we’ve been taught to keep the doors and windows closed tightly while the AC is on. But, trapping the heat upstairs may cause you to crank the AC too high to finally get those upstairs rooms to a comfortable temperature.

Remember, a new air conditioner can cost you anywhere from $3,700 to $7,200 to install. All of the tips we’ve covered today are either free or very inexpensive, and they can help you get more mileage out of your AC unit.