Air Conditioners
Most people can’t get along without an air conditioner in the summertime. It is important to keep them in working order for you to stay cool. You can do this by doing simple maintenance on them.
There are many professionals that you can get to do the maintenance for you. You can see this site https://bosqueplumbingandair.com to get information from them. They can do your maintenance for you or tell you what needs to be done and how to do it.
This article will tell you some of the most common maintenance tips. It will help you to know what to do to keep your AC in working order. You can also do some research to find out even more information.
Simple Maintenance Tips
- Turn Off the Unit – You want to be careful with working around anything with electricity. Turning off the power to the compressor is the first thing you should do to make sure that you are safe. You don’t want to get zapped when you are working on your AC.
There should be a power switch for the outdoor compressor somewhere that you can see it. You also want to turn off the breaker that supplies the power to the unit. This way you can be sure that there is no power to the compressor.
- Remove Any Debris – Remove the fan cage from the outdoor compressor. Use a screwdriver or a wrench to remove the cage. Use a wet vac to remove all the debris from inside the compressor.
There will be leaves and other debris inside the compressor. Make sure that you remove all of what you can see. This will help the air conditioner to work more effectively.
- Clean the Fins – Remove the rest of the outer covers from the compressor. Use a brush from the wet vac to clean the fins of the unit: https://yourdallashandyman.com/clean-condenser-coils/. Be careful so that you don’t harm the fins in any way.
Use a gentle stream from the garden hose to clean any stubborn dirt. If this doesn’t work, there are commercial cleaners that you can use. You can get them at any home improvement store.
- Straighten Fins and Clean the Area – Use a butter knife or a fin-straightening tool to straighten the fins on the compressor. This is important because bent fins will impede the flow of air. It will help the compressor to be more efficient if you do this.
Be careful when straightening the fins because there is tubing embedded in them, and you don’t want to damage it. Don’t worry too much about the ones on the outer edge, they aren’t as important. They don’t affect the flow of air as much.
- Clean Area Around the Unit – After you have cleaned the compressor itself, it is time to clean around the unit. Look here to see what you should do. Rake all the leaves and other debris from around the unit. Make sure you clear an area of at least two feet from around the unit.
Trim all trees that are around the compressor, making sure that there is a two-foot clearance. If there are any other plants around the condenser, trim them back or remove them. This will help you to keep the unit free of debris.
- Level the Unit – Sometimes the pad that the compressor sits on will tip or sink as the dirt underneath settles. If it is not level, it can cause the compressor to fail early. Use a level to make sure that the compressor is even.
The compressor needs to be as level as possible for it to work correctly and efficiently. You can use shims that are rot resistant to bring it back to level. If you have a heat pump, it is okay for it to be off level by a little bit.
- Clean Evaporator Coil – Once you have cleaned up the compressor outside and cleared all the debris around it, it is time to move inside. You might need to remove some foil tape and some screws to find the evaporator coil on the inside of the furnace or blower unit. Once inside the furnace, use a soft brush to dust off the coil.
After you have dusted off the coil, you can use a commercial, no rinse cleaner that you can get at the home improvement store. It will get foamy and run into the drip pan. Clean the drip pan with soapy water and a cloth.
- Clean Evaporator Drain – While your evaporator is being used throughout the year, mold and algae can build up in the drain. It might even plug the drain so it can’t work properly. This could cause the evaporator to flood your home if it is not taken care of.
The best way to clean this is to use a wet vac with a rag on the hose. Use the vac as usual and suck up all the material that is on the drain. This might take two or three minutes to get rid of all the algae and mold.
- Change the Blower Filter – Your filter should be changed at least twice a year. If you live in a particularly dusty area, you might want to change it more often. Use the same filter that you take out to make sure that it will do its job.
Using air purifying or HEPA filters might reduce the airflow of your unit. If this happens, your coils can freeze, and your unit will fail to work. It is best if you use the same type of filter that you are taking out.
- Turn the Power Back On – These steps will help you to keep your air conditioner working, but there are other maintenance steps that you can’t do yourself. These steps will require a professional to help you. This is mostly because you won’t have the tools to do the steps.
These steps could include things such as fixing refrigerant leaks or cleaning the ducts. Most people don’t have tools to do these two things. It is best to have a professional do these things for you.
Conclusion
These are just some of the maintenance tips that you can do to keep your air conditioning unit working. These steps are easy for most people to follow. You should be able to do most of them on your own. If you have issues with your unit that you can’t handle, call a professional.
