Your central air conditioning system may seem like a godsend during the hot summer months. While keeping it in good condition may not be the first thing on your mind, it’s something that you do need to consider. Following the guide below, you can help ensure that your AC unit gets properly cleaned during the spring months.
Air Filter
Most homeowners are familiar with the fact that their air conditioning system has an air filter that needs to be changed. The experts recommend changing your air filters once every three months. However, for homes that have pets and young children, you may need to change your air filter more often to keep your family safe from harmful indoor allergens and pollutants.
You’ll want to locate your air filter and pop it out. If you can’t see through your air filter any longer, it’s advisable to change it. You have a few different options. You can purchase fiberglass, pleated, HEPA, and reusable filters. Pleated filters are the most popular, as they’re both affordable and fairly decent at removing excess allergens from the air. If you have a respiratory condition or young children, you may want to consider installing a HEPA filter. These filters remove more harmful airborne particles, but they’re a little more expensive.
Indoor Unit
Before you attempt to clean your indoor air conditioning components, you’ll need to turn off the power to your cooling system. It’s best to do this at the circuit breaker to ensure the power is completely cut off. You’ll need to remove the access panel to locate the system’s components.
Start by cleaning the evaporator coil. While you can certainly scrub it by hand, it’s highly advisable to purchase an evaporator coil cleaner. This is a foam cleanser that works to remove the built-on debris. Once the evaporator coil is cleaned, it’s time to move onto the drainpipe and drain.
Excess debris in the moisture can cause dirt and debris buildup in your drainpipe and drain. In addition, the constant movement of water can cause scaling water buildup. Therefore, you should use a bleach solution to wash down your drainpipe and drain to remove these unwanted materials. This will help to prevent any clogs from occurring in the near future.
Outdoor Unit
When you first approach your outdoor unit, it’s advisable to assess the area. You should remove any excess debris that’s surrounding your outdoor unit. It’s very common for leaves to get stuck behind the appliance. You’ll also want to be mindful of any bushes that are near the outdoor condenser unit. If these grow too close to the system, it will prevent proper airflow from entering it. This can drastically reduce the efficiency of your entire air conditioning system.
Next, you’ll want to remove the cover of the unit. Give it a good rinse with a hose to remove any excess debris from the AC cover grille. You can use your hose to spray out the interior unit fins. You’ll want to invest in a quality condenser coil cleaning solution.
It’s important to realize that your condenser coil is somewhat exposed to harsh outdoor elements, so it will be harder to get the stuck-on debris off. As you’re cleaning the metal fins inside of your unit, take note of any bent ones. You’ll want to use a pair of pliers or a fin comb that fits your unit to bend those fins back into place. Each fin should be returned to a straight position, as this will be the most optimal for removing heat from your air conditioning system.
Vents
The last thing you’ll want to do is to remove the indoor vents throughout your house. There should be both a supply and a return vent in each main room of your home. You’ll want to give each of these vents a good washing since they tend to get built-up debris stuck on them.
While you have the vents out, you should use a vacuum to clean up the ductwork that you can access. It’s very common for dust and debris to get stuck in the ductwork over time. Any bit of it that you can remove while the venting is off can help to reduce the amount of dirt and debris that finds its way into your indoor air.
Quality AC Services
Having a quality AC technician you can contact when your AC system needs to be serviced in Festus, MO, is a necessity. Fortunately, Bone Heating & Cooling can handle all of your home cooling, heating, ductwork, fireplace, and indoor air quality needs. Simply give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
