The dog days of summer will be upon us before we know it. It feels good to have sunshine and warmth in the air. It also feels good to go inside and cool off in your nice air-conditioned house.
So, there’s nothing quite so frustrating as turning on the air on the first hot day only to find it won’t turn on. Or it won’t blow cold air.
Of course, then you’re in line with others who want service right away to get their air working. Avoid the hassles by getting your central air conditioner maintenance taken care of before it’s a problem.
Read on to learn about some things you can do or have done by a professional to make sure your air conditioner is ready for summer.
1. Air Conditioner Filters
One of the simplest tasks you can do, and you can do this yourself, is to clean or replace the air conditioner filters.
These filters are found inside the house. They can be found in the furnace or air handler cabinet of your furnace. Sometimes you will find them near the air inlet part of the furnace.
The purpose of these filters, like any filter, is to trap dirt and air particles. Yet, when these get too full of dust and dirt particles, the air can’t move through them.
As a result, you don’t get good airflow and your house doesn’t cool down the way you want it to.
2. Check the Condenser Coils
Just the name condenser coils sound remarkably complicated. This isn’t though.
First, you need to make sure, and this is important, that you have turned off the power to your air conditioner unit.
Then go to the outdoor metal box that is part of your air conditioning system. You will see the fan blades at the top of the unit.
These fan blades move air around the interior condenser coils when your unit is running. During the winter, debris can get inside the unit and clog up the condenser coils.
Remove the lid of your unit and the sides. This often can be done by loosening a few screws.
Then you can use a soft hand brush or vacuum brush to clean the coils. These coils look like fins and are surprisingly fragile. You want to be careful not to bend them while cleaning.
Removing the dirt and debris allows better airflow and a more efficient air conditioner hunt.
3. Debris Around the Condenser
Once you are finished cleaning the coils, you want to remove any debris found inside the condenser. Often leaves and dirt from winter gather inside there.
Use your hand or a vacuum to scoop out the debris. If there is a drain (many units have one) you want to clear out the drain at the bottom of the condenser.
Then you can use a rag to wipe down the fan blades. Check the bolts that hold the fan blades. You want to be sure nothing is loose that would throw off how the fan operates.
4. Remove Outdoor Obstructions
While many people want to do outdoor plantings around the outdoor part of their air conditioner, really this is not a good idea. You want there to be open space and good airflow around the outdoor part of your air conditioning unit.
You want to remove any leaves or weeds that might prevent good airflow around the exterior of the unit.
It’s smart to keep anything growing several feet from your air conditioning unit.
5. Check the Coolant Lines
The coolant lines run from your outdoor part of the unit into your house. They run from the air handler inside to the condenser outside.
These coolant lines are typically wrapped in foam insulation. This prevents the coolant lines from losing unnecessary energy.
Sometimes outdoor critters will chew on the foam insulation and it gets frayed away. You want those lines protected for maximum efficiency.
You can replace this with new foam insulation by wrapping the coolant lines and taping them with the insulation tape. These are supplies you can pick up at your local home improvement store.
6. Check for Air Flow Leaks
If it appears your air conditioner is running fine and yet your house isn’t cooling the right way, you might have a leak. Leaks in ductwork mean the cool air escapes before it arrives at the rooms in your house.
Check your visible ductwork for loose spots. You can even turn on your system and feel your ducts to see if you feel airflow.
A professional HVAC specialist can also do an inspection of your ductwork to check this.
7. Thermostat
This is a great time to upgrade your thermostat to a programmable thermostat. If your thermostat isn’t working, it won’t tell your air conditioner to turn on or turn off.
This can be a real drain on your energy bills.
Imagine how nice it will be to come home from work and have your smart thermostat working to have your house cooled off and ready for you. Some programmable thermostats even allow users to control them from an app on their phone.
Get Your Central Air Conditioner Maintenance Done Today
There’s nothing worse than that first hot day, to click on your air conditioner only to find it not working well. Avoid the hassles by taking care of your central air conditioner maintenance today.
Want help making sure your unit is ready for those hot Texas summer days? Give us a call and we can come out and make sure your unit is ready to go for those first hot days of summer.