Having an air conditioning unit can be a real blessing in the dire heat of summer. It will be a real life-savior and your best friend, especially if you live in Arizona or Florida, but you need to take care of it. Maintaining your AC can be really inexpensive and straightforward; follow these simple tips to keep the unit running at full throttle.
How to use it?
Most experts recommend setting it at 78 degrees Fahrenheit or about 25 degrees Celsius. This will keep your room at the idle temperature and you won’t have to sell a kidney to pay your electricity bills. Remember, the higher or lower the temperature is, the higher your bill will be, so be conscientious on how you use it.
These are the things you should look out for/clean:
Air filters: They are the ones that do most of the work in your AC system, and you have to clean them on a regular basis, and I repeat, always clean or replace them. When clogged with dirt and lint, your air conditioning system won’t work as efficiently as it could and will need more time to cool down your room. Check your filter every month or so to see if they need cleaning. Most AC systems have replaceable air filters so that you can find in your local Target or Walmart.
Air conditioning Coil: Over the months or years that you use it, the coil of your ac system will also collect dirt. This, with time, reduces airflow and insulates the coil, which prevents it from absorbing heat. Outdoor coils also collect dirt very quickly if they are situated in a dusty area or one covered with foliage. This one is more easily noticed than the air filter as you can see visible dust particles on the outside of your coil. One easy way to resolve this problem is to clean a 2 feet radius around the coil. Doing this prevents the coil from being clogged and thus allows an adequate airflow to the condenser.
Coil fin: This is another item that can prevent proper airflow to the coil if they are bent. To fix this, you can buy a fin comb from Amazon or any AC wholesaler and you can set the fins into shape as if they were brand new. If this doesn’t work, hire a professional who can fix this for you instead of damaging the fins further.
Condensation drain: This is one of the most important parts of any AC system as it drains the condensation created by the system outdoors. With time, the condensation drain can also clog and cause the AC to malfunction. You can verify whether this is working efficiently by checking if it is draining water properly from time to time. If you see that this is not the case, you should unclog the obstruction by running a stiff wire through it. If not attended to properly, the moisture created by the clogged drain can cause your walls or carpet to discolor.
Hire a professional
Once every year or two, hire an air conditioning professional to do a once over and check whether your AC is fully functioning or if it’s in need of repairs. A well-trained professional can identify any problem areas and fix them. So, even though we advise you to clean your AC from time to time, we really do encourage you to hire a professional for the more technical jobs.
Sound off in the comment section below and tell us if you are going to use any of these tips to clean your air conditioning system.