A well-maintained air conditioner unit cools more efficiently, which ensures that your home will stay at a comfortable temperature all Summer long and that your utility bills won’t be outrageously pricey. Follow these 5 tips for annual air conditioner maintenance and you’ll be good to go.
- Clean Your Condenser Fan Your condenser fan - the fan that’s in your outdoor unit - gets covered in grime and debris every year, so cleaning it off is important. To perform this maintenance, disconnect the power to the unit, remove the fan and dust or hose it down. Once it’s dry, simply replace and ensure that everything is in nice and tight before closing the unit back up again.
- Straighten and Clean Fins While you’re in your condenser unit, take a moment to evaluate the fins along the outside of the unit. Fins should be straight and grime-free, but in all likelihood, they’re probably going to require a little extra attention.
First, you’ll want to straighten the fins. Do this by inserting a butter knife no more than half an inch between fins and using it to push crooked fins into place. Once everything is straightened, you can take your garden hose and spray the fins from the inside out to loosen grime and create better airflow.
- Clean up Debris Around the Unit Of course, any debris around your condenser unit should be cleared away to help your unit run more efficiently. Clean up brush, leaves and other items that have accumulated, and make sure that the air intake area is clear for at least a foot in any direction.
- Change Your Filters While you’re changing your indoor air filters, as you do seasonally, don’t neglect your blower filter. This filter is located in your indoor AC unit and is at the connection between the air return duct and the unit. Simply open the door (you may need a screwdriver to do this), pull out the dirty filter and put a new one in.
- Get a Professional Opinion If you come across anything that looks or acts strangely while you’re performing your HVAC maintenance, call a professional to decipher the problem. Perhaps your unit needs a professional tuneup or a repair that you can’t detect.
For all of your Sonoma County HVAC needs, call Sonoma County Comfort Heating and Air to get a professional consultation. Don’t let your inefficient air conditioning lead to high energy bills and Summer misery - get a professional in to get the job done.
