How To Clean Your AC Unit Easy
Your outside air conditioner condenser works by drawing air inside the unit from the sides. Then releasing the hot air back out of the top of the unit. Over time, dirt and grime build up on the coils located on each side. This leads to decreased performance as your unit has to run harder than it should to keep your home cool. Not only does this cause more wear and tear on your unit, but your utility bills will increase. Let’s look at how to clean your AC unit easy. You only need a can of coil cleaner, a screwdriver, a garden hose, and 30 minutes.
Before You Begin
A couple of things to pay close attention to. First, do not use a pressure washer or high pressure hose. The coils are fragile. Instead, use a garden hose and sprayer with a light setting. I like the “flat” setting on the sprayer. Also, do not do this unless you’ve turned off the breaker at your main electric panel. In addition, make sure you pull the breaker out of the panel outside by your AC unit.
Step 1
First, turn off the breaker to kill the power to the unit at your electric panel. Next, pull the breaker out of the outside panel. Be sure to close the outside panel while you work to keep water out.
Step 2
Remove the top fan assembly by unscrewing it from the base of the unit. There will be a wiring harness that you’ll have to disconnect from the fan assembly. Don’t pull too hard on the harness when disconnecting it.
Step 3
Remove any leaves, sticks and debris from the inside of the unit. Take a Shop-Vac to get it all clean.
Step 4
Inspect the coils on the heat exchanger. They are very delicate and can easily be bent or broken. If you have some major damage on them, call an HVAC professional.
Step 5
Spray coil cleaner from the top to bottom of each side on to the coils. Let that sit for about 10 minutes.
Step 6
Finally, take a garden hose and use a light pressure setting. Too much water pressure will damage the coils. Begin spraying from the inside out at a 45 degree angle at the top of the coils and work your way down. The water will push the debris down and out as you go. Spray the fan assembly too before you put that back on.
Step 7
Reassemble fan assembly. Turn on all breakers.
And that’s all there is to do to clean your AC Unit. This should be done at least once per year, preferably when the weather begins to warm up. You can wash away all of the winter dirt and debris and have your unit clean and ready to go for the summer.
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