It’s Spring. Time to Clean Your Air Condictioner

In this article, we’ll show you how to clean the coils of your ac and maintain them so that they can run efficiently. We won’t demonstrate maintenance steps for window mounts. Still, most central air conditioners have two main parts: an outdoor unit (compressor/condenser) located near your home and an indoor unit (evaporator) in a central duct close to the furnace or air handler. If you have a heat pump instead of a furnace, the indoor will be found in the dehumidifier; use these same maintenance steps. If your furnace looks different from Fig A or if you have more than one heating appliance such as electric resistance wires added on top-these modifications may be too complicated-use what’s documented by its owner’s manual. The basic components are always going to be similar regardless.

The most important maintenance steps are fairly simple, but if this is the first time you’ve cleaned your unit, allow about half a day to work through each step carefully. 

If you’re not up to it, then call in a pro. Just Google “Air Conditioning Contractors.”

A typical air-conditioning/furnace setup has two copper tubes connecting the outdoor compressor and its condenser coil to the indoor evaporator coil in a plenum above your furnace blower. One tube is insulated with foam; both will be insulated if you have a heat pump.

Your main job outside is to clean the condenser coil. The fan inside will suck air through the fins, which might be blocked by dirt from leaves and dust. During cottonwood season, or if you have grass clippings thrown your way, it’s important to clear them out once weekly or even daily! Always shut off power first before starting work on the coils!

Clean the fan motor by washing it with dish soap, warm water, and a sponge. This should remove all dirt from the motors (if there is any). If your motor has oil ports apply five drops of special oil for electric motors every six months (not penetrating or all-purpose oils) per the manufacturer’s instructions. These generally can be found at hardware stores and should be used according to the maker’s directions; you may also want to check your owner’s manual if you are unsure about the lubrication of these parts!

Compressors and motors can be found inside the ac coil. They are usually sealed, but lubricate it through their oil ports if you have an older compressor with a separate motor! In every case, watch for dark drip marks on the bottom of your compressor or pad. This indicates an oil leak; either there’s also a problem in your tubes (refrigerant) as well. If you find this type of leak, call in a pro to check the issue out. Don’t try to tighten any joints yourself! Over-tightening might make things worse, and only pros with proper equipment will know how to recharge their system again, so it has enough coolant.

Before Restarting Your System

Compressors are surprisingly fragile. Follow these precautions when restoring the power: If the 240-volt power to your compressor has been off for more than four hours, do not turn on your outdoor unit immediately after cleaning it. Instead, follow these instructions first:

1. Turn off the air conditioning by switching from Cool to Off on your thermostat.
2. The first step is to switch the 240-volt power back on and let the outdoor unit sit for 24 hours. This will allow a warming element to heat up the compressor’s internal lubricant.
3. Switch the thermostat to cooling mode and set it to a temperature that will make the outdoor unit come on. After checking this, check the outside unit.

One of the important things you need to remember is that when turning off the air conditioner, it needs at least five minutes before being turned back on. The compressor needs time to “decompress” after shutting down, and restarting too soon can stress its motor. Many thermostats have an automatic delay built into them for these types of circumstances, which protects your unit from this phenomenon. When instructions are also given about cleaning your outdoor unit during warmer months (60 degrees F or higher), it’s a good idea because instead of working properly in colder temperatures ( 60 degrees F), compressors will not work properly either.

Cleaning Your Indoor Unit

It is important to have a clean filter in your furnace. This ensures that the dust won’t collect on the evaporator coil fins and lead to dirt buildup. To avoid blowing this dust into other parts of your system, turn off the power before pulling out the old filter-check for instructions printed on it first! Orienting a new one is crucial; read those instructions carefully if you need help with orientation.

Cleaning the evaporator coil is a job you don’t have easy access to because it’s usually inside an enclosed area or in a hard-to-reach space. Vacuum the fins on its bottom side with a soft brush attachment if you can reach it. Otherwise, make sure to clean this part of your furnace every few years by hiring someone who specializes in cleaning these types of coils professionally. The best way to prevent problems with your evaporator coil is to keep the air that flows as clean as possible! To do this, turn off the furnace and work from there.

There’s usually a switch mounted on or close to them when it comes to furnaces. (On heat pumps, the switch might be a circuit breaker). Shut off power at the main electrical panel and replace any dirty furnace filters before turning back on your system. Vacuum up any dust in your blower cabinet too.

In newer furnaces, it is usually difficult to lubricate the blower. Have a professional do this during periodic furnace maintenance visits.

You need an evaporator coil to dehumidify your air, which cools the room during the summer. The condensed water that flows out of it is collected in a condensation tube.

Make sure the tube is not clogged by sludge and algae, especially at the drain port. A flexible tube is easy to pull off and clean, but you might have to saw off a rigid plastic one with a hacksaw if it contains any blockages. Then reweld it using appropriate pipe joint solvent or coupling.