Maintain Your Air Conditioner in 5 Easy Steps

Summer is here, and there’s nothing like coming home out of the sweltering desert heat and into the cool oasis of your central air. But when your AC breaks, that oasis can quickly turn into a fiery inferno. To make sure that you never have this experience, it’s important to properly maintain your AC unit. Many AC breakdowns could easily be prevented simply by periodically cleaning your outdoor compressor unit. Cleaning will depend on the brand and style of your air conditioner, but it’s generally pretty easy. Here are just a few guidelines:

1. Shut off the power to the unit. Your compressor will be connected with a cord to the wall of your home: there’s usually a switch there that you can simply toggle off.
2. Unscrew the top of the unit and lift out both the grill and the fan. Set it aside, being careful not to cramp any connecting wires.
3. Scoop out the leaves and debris from inside.
4. Clean the cooling fins. Using a sprayer attachment on your hose, spray the wall of the unit from the inside out. This will blast all of the dirt and debris from off the cooling fins, improving circulation.
5. Clear off the concrete pad where your compressor sits. Debris, leaves, and weeds on the pad are likely to be sucked into the unit.

If you experience any difficulty, or if your A/C breaks in spite of it all, just give a call to your Utah water softener and air conditioning experts!