How to Maintain Your Air Conditioner
As a homeowner, an HVAC unit is one of the most critical investments to make for your home. Yet, it's among the most expensive home investments, which is why you should put the necessary efforts into maintaining it. Fortunately, there are affordable and easy ways of maintaining this unit even if you aren't an air conditioning installation and servicing expert.
Before beginning the maintenance practices, shut off the power to the unit to avoid getting electrocuted. Here are the air conditioning maintenance tips that you can follow.
Clean Its Evaporator Coil
The AC coils help the refrigerants absorb heat and maintain cool temperatures in your home. Look for the evaporator coil door by taking a few bolts and foil from the unit. Then dust off the coil using a soft brush. Proceed to spray it with a coil cleaner.
Use a detergent mixture to clean the drain pan and flash the dirt down by pouring water containing bleach down the drain pan. Place a drain pan tablet in the pan if you want the drain to be clean for a long time.
Clean and Replace Its Conditioner Filters
Regularly clean or replace the AC filters. The AC unit's efficiency depends on the filters, and if they're dirty or clogged, the system will not have normal airflow. When its normal airflow is affected, the air going through these filters carries the dirt into the evaporator coil. The impediment strains the evaporator coil, impairing its heat-absorbing abilities. When this happens, it uses a lot of energy, and you'll end up paying more electricity bills.
Clean Its Fins
Leave the fins bare by removing the outer AC covers and then attach a brush to a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust from it. Then spray water from a garden horse through the fins to rid it of any debris or accumulated dirt. Avoid using pressure washers as their high-pressure damages the fin.
If the dirt and debris persist, use the commercial fin cleaning sprays. You can get these at home improvement centers. Read and adhere to the manufacturer guidelines that come with them.
There are simple maintenance practices you can do to regularly maintain your unit without the help of an AC expert. Such practices include cleaning the AC fins and evaporator coil as well as replacing its filters if they are old. Keeping it in tip-top shape will make it run efficiently and serve you longer.
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