When to get AC serviced

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fozzy40

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I just bought a 1 bedroom (~750sq ft) loft in downtown Chicago. The building is approximately 6 years old so I am assuming the HVAC unit (which is in my condo) is about that old. It currently is working but I have been noticing some humidity. It is humid in Chicago right now but I'm not sure if it's normal to feel "similar" humidity inside. I checked the filter and it appears to be clean. No funny sounds or leaking from the unit. I did have a home inspector check the condo pre-purchase and he found nothing wrong. However, I'm not sure how reliable home inspectors are when it comes to HVAC stuff.

So, I basically want to know if and how often I should have this serviced. I've been reading to get it serviced annually.

Thanks for your help!
 
I always recommend someone buying a new home to get a professional in to do a service job. Only because you do not know who did what to a system. As a home inspector I can only check so many things on any home, it's because you do not own the home at the time of the inspection and we are limited.
Annually ,unless something is giving you issues.
Same for the furnace. Do it before the heating season.
 
Have the system checked annually.
For now however, I suspect that your condensate drip tube is plugged and the drip pan is holding condensate. This condensate tends to be laden w/bacteria and has a rather moldy smell to it (a definite health concern if not addressed). This pooled up condensate is being (recycled) picked up by the air moving across the evaporator coils and back into the living quaters by the blower.
The fact that you dont' see anything leaking is actually a problem. It should be leaking, leaking condensate. Wheather this be from a weep hole in the unit or from a drip tube, you should be discharging the humidity from the air that's being cooled.
 
As stated by kok328, you generally want to have your unit checked once a year. I usually check mine in the spring before it gets too hot.
 
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