How To Prepare An Air Conditioner For Summer

After the winter months begin to fade away, your air conditioner may not be in the best shape. After months of inactivity, your air conditioning unit may be dirty and in need of maintenance, and it will not operate efficiently if you simply turn it on once the temperature rises. Thankfully, performing maintenance on an air conditioning unit before summer sets in is a fairly simple process that you can do yourself in a moderate amount of time.

Clean the Filters

This is the easiest maintenance task for any air conditioning unit. Simply remove the filter from the marked housing on your air conditioning unit (usually located on the central unit, but check the owner's manual for an exact location) and either clean it using warm water and soap for reusable filters, or replace it. Replaceable filters can be found at most hardware stores - simply bring in your old filter to find a match.

Clean the Condenser

Air conditioner condensers are located outside of your home and resemble giant fans covered by a large grille. If the condenser coils are dirty, your air conditioner will not operate properly. Remove the side panels and the grille covering the top of the condenser using a screwdriver, and set them gently to the side. The coils are located underneath the fan of the condenser, and these are best cleaned using a brush attachment on a shop vac. Simply use the shop vac to remove as much dirt and debris as possible from the coils and anywhere else inside of the condenser. Be sure to check to see if there is water at the bottom of the condenser or plants which have grown into the unit, and clear them out as necessary. Then, reattach the side panels and grille using the screwdriver.

Check the Refrigerant Tubes

Refrigerant tubes are the lines connecting the condenser to the central air conditioning unit inside your home, and they transport coolant between the condenser and your home. They are insulated to ensure that the coolant does not become warm as it transports between these two units. Check the tubes to see if there are any breaks or missing pieces in the insulation. If there is exposed tubing, you can apply new insulation very easily. Simply look for foam insulation sleeves, available at most hardware stores, that are the same diameter as the tubing in question. You can either measure the tubes using measuring tape to determine the diameter, or you can take a broken piece of insulation into the store with you to find a match.

If you find that something is wrong with your air conditioning unit that you can't fix on your own, don't hesitate to contact a professional company like Mountain Air Comfort Systems.