A Plan For Your Home Air Conditioner Maintenance
Spring is a great time to get your home air conditioner system cleaned and ready to go for the summer as best as you can. Getting your homes air conditioner clean outside, changing your filter inside and clearing the drain line can prevent a lot of problems and damage later in the season. See what type of information we have put together for homeowners to maintenance their air conditioner themselves.
Cleaning Your Outside Air Conditioner
Your outside air conditioner should be cleaned about once a year, in the spring before your start putting a lot of hours on it. Cleaning the outside part of the air conditioner allows the unit more air flow through the coils. Which in turn allows for higher efficiency and lowers your electric consumption for the AC.
Clean the outside vertical surfaces of your unit by spraying water through the coils from the outside inwards. Make sure you do not bend the coil fins which are sometimes delicate. The air conditioner coil fins are usually covered with a metal hail guard. This guard will prevent you from seeing down to look at the coils you will have to get low and look up to see through it clearly. Once you are sure you are not damaging the fins of the AC then you can continue to spray around the whole unit about 5 minutes per side. If you are bending the fins a little with the water pressure then turn down the pressure some or back up the water hose from the surface of the fins.
Clear The Air Conditioner Drain Line @ The Inside Unit
Prevent your air conditioner from spilling water on your floor this summer by clearing the drain line this spring. We recommend clearing the air conditioner drain line once a year in the springtime to prevent this type of problem. The home air conditioner will make anywhere from 5-15 gallons of water per day. That is a lot of water to hit your floor if you are not home when it happens.
Pouring a cup of vinegar or bleach down your drain line once a year will prevent most blockages of dirt and algae. When an air conditioner repair technician shows up to your house he will cut the pipe and put some air pressure on the line to make sure it is clear. If you do not have the ability to cut and re-glued a fitting of the PVC back together, then i would recommend using a cup of vinegar or bleach. Find a T in the white PVC pipe coming out of the coil and remove the cap if there is one. Fill the pipe with a cup of vinegar if you are afraid of damaging the floors in your home, or a cup of bleach for a stronger acting chemical. The vinegar or bleach should not be used if the drain line is clogged. It will make a mess when someone has to come and cut the AC drain line, because the bleach will not unclog the drain. The chemical treatment of the air conditioner drain line is a preventative measure only not a solution to unclogging drain lines.
Change Your Indoor Air Filter
Change your indoor air filter for your air conditioner as recommended to make sure you are getting the most out of your efficiency. Keeping the air filter cleaned on your AC allows more air flow across the coil. This makes your unit shut off faster being that it cools down the home faster. Also changing the AC filter keeps the electric bill lower because it allows for higher efficiency.
When you are changing the air conditioner filter remember that it is always better to buy the cheaper filter at the store and change it more frequently. This allows for a higher air flow and prevents the air conditioning system from working as hard to do the same amount of work. With this in mind you will have to change them more frequently to keep the air filtered nice. The more expensive air filters will have to be changed as often if not sooner. The thickness of the air conditioner filter will be the deciding factor as to how long it will last. Putting your AC filter in the proper direction can also be important. Make sure that the arrow of air flow on your new filter is always pointing toward the air conditioner system equipment. This will help the filter stay in the correct shape while it is filtering your homes air.
