Air conditioner care and cleaning

One of the best ways to save money, while keeping your home comfortable is having a proactive attitude about air conditioner care. With proper care and maintenance an air conditioner can last up to 20 years. While heating and cooling is one of your biggest monthly expenses, maintaining your outdoor unit will save hundreds in the long run.

Your air conditioner is an important part of your home. It doesn’t just keep your house cool, it improves air quality, reduces mold growth, and helps improve allergies. This impacts both your health and your mood.

In order to reduce utility bills and provide the best service possible an efficient air conditioner is necessary. If you want to keep your air conditioner running properly, periodic maintenance is required, but it is not complicated. With these tips you will be well on your way to keeping your air conditioning system in top shape.

Maintaining air conditioners

While there are many things you can do yourself, it is wise to have a technician inspect your air conditioner once a year. The technician will check for damaged parts, check the condenser unit, inspect wiring, look for blockages, inspect hoses, and monitor the refrigerant levels. They will also test your thermostat and electrical components.

It is possible that over time hoses have degraded and started leaking, wires have been exposed due to weather, or there have been refrigerant leaks. Having a technician inspect annually can prevent your air conditioner from breaking down on a hot day.

There are health reasons for maintaining your air conditioning system as well. A properly functioning air conditioning system will reduce dust and particulate in your air. Dust and dander in the air can exacerbate respiratory issues.

Cleaning your air conditioner

One of the tasks that you may need to complete is cleaning your air conditioning unit. When the components of the air conditioner are blocked and clogged, your air conditioner cannot do its work properly and has to work harder, costing you money. You can visibly examine your air conditioner and see if it dirty. If after you inspect your unit, you find there is dust and debris blocking air flow, it is time to clean it.

You can also have your air conditioner professionally cleaned, if you don’t want to do the work yourself.

Turn off the power to your air conditioning system

In order to clean your air conditioner safely, you will need to turn off the power to the unit. There should be a shut off box near the unit to turn off power and you will also need to shut off power to your air conditioner from your indoor breaker box.

Clean up large debris

Look around your unit for furniture, toys, branches, and gathered leaves crowding the unit. It’s best to create at least 2 feet of clear space around the air conditioner for proper air flow.

Also remove smaller debris from the unit like leaves, branches, and twigs from the outside.

When the outside area is cleared, use a screwdriver to remove the fan grill from the unit. If there are any leaves or debris inside, remove them.

Clean and straighten the fins

While you have the fan grill removed, take this time to spray the inside of the fins of your air conditioner with a garden hose to remove dust and grime. Be careful to use a gentle stream so that you do not damage the fins.

In order to straighten any bent fins that may obstruct air flow, you can use a fin comb or a dinner knife to carefully push the fins back into alignment.

Clean the evaporator coil

Over time the air conditioner’s evaporator coil will begin to collect debris, so while you are doing your annual maintenance, it is a good time to clean it. Using a soft brush, gently clean the coils to remove large debris.

Then, you can use a commercial cleaning product designed for this purpose to dissolve any grime. Simply follow the directions on the packaging to complete the cleaning.

Check that your ac unit is level

An unbalanced air conditioning unit is more likely to break down in the long run, so you should check annually that the base of your air conditioner has not shifted or sunk. You can use simple treated shims under the unit to level it out.

Clean condensate tube

If you see water collecting around your air conditioning unit, you may have a blocked condensate tube. A blocked tube will increase humidity levels in your home and can cause water damage. Slime builds up in these tubes over time and can cause obstructions.

To prevent this from happening it is a good idea to clean them occasionally with a stiff brush to remove any build up that may have developed. You can also purchase commercial tablets that will keep your drain clear when inserted into the pipe. Look for them at your local hardware store.

How often should you perform HVAC maintenance?

Air conditioner maintenance should be performed monthly, bi-annually, and annually. It may seem inconvenient, but setting aside a few hours will greatly extend the life of your central air conditioner.

Monthly, you should check your air filters and replace or clean them as needed.

Bi-annually you should clean your air conditioner and make sure nothing is blocking air flow.

Annually, you should have your air conditioner serviced and inspected by a technician to check for more complicated issues.

Maintaining your air conditioning system

Maintaining your air conditioning system is not hard, but it does require you to set a few hours aside on your calendar to complete some simple tasks. With proper maintenance your air conditioner will keep keep your home cool for decades.

However, if you are uncomfortable with HVAC maintenance you should feel free to work with a professional technician like the ones at bhild.com. Call us today, or fill out our form here for a free estimate on HVAC services today!