As the days start to get shorter and colder, you’re likely getting your home prepared to take on the upcoming winter months. One necessary task is maintaining your air conditioning system. This requires you to complete many different individual maintenance tasks.
Replace Your Air Filter
When you start to perform maintenance on your air conditioning system, the best place to start is with your air filter. Locate the air filter housing and remove the existing filter. If you can no longer see through the filter, it’s an indication that it needs to be replaced.
You’ll want to replace the filter with another one of the same model number to guarantee that it’ll fit in your system. There are four main types of filter styles that you can purchase, which include pleated, fiberglass, HEPA, and reusable. If your family has allergies or multiple pets, you should highly consider spending a little extra money to invest in a HEPA filter.
Smell and Listen to Your System
It’s not uncommon for your air conditioning system to develop unpleasant odors or odd noises over the summertime. When these happen gradually over time, it can be difficult for homeowners to detect the issue because they’re living with it every day. Before you turn off your air conditioning system for the winter, it’s highly advisable that you actively listen for any odd noises like rattling or banging.
You also want to take note of any odd smells coming from your air conditioning system, like that of garbage or exhaust fumes. If you notice any oddities with your system, it’s best to address these now instead of waiting until next spring. Call our technicians if you smell anything odd or if you hear strange noises.
Clean Your Evaporator Coil
If your system is running right, go ahead and shut it off completely. You’ll want to open the indoor access panel and locate the evaporator coil. Use a foaming coil cleaner to remove all the built-on grime. Next, you’ll want to move to the drain. Pouring a solution of bleach and water down the drain can help to remove any hard water buildup as well as any loose debris buildup.
It’s essential to get all that debris out of your drain before you go for months on end without running your air conditioning system. This is because that debris could harden and create an unnecessary clog in your system when you try to run it next summer.
Have a Professional Take a Look at the Wiring
While you’re performing maintenance on the interior AC unit, it’s a good idea to let technicians take a quick look at the wiring. They will make sure that there’s no frayed or exposed wires. If any of the connections seem loose, they will tighten those up so that there isn’t a problem later.
Clean Your Condenser Unit
If the inside unit looks fine, head out to the condenser unit. You want to remove any debris that’s surrounding the condenser unit, such as loose leaves. Go ahead and take off the AC grille cover, and set it aside. You want to start by cleaning the condenser coil with a specialized foaming cleanser. It’s important to realize that the traditional mixture of soap and water doesn’t work that well for cleaning a condenser coil because it’s constantly exposed to the outdoor environment.
After cleaning the condenser coil, it’s time to grab your hose and to hose off the rest of the unit. Make sure that you remove any debris that is stuck within the fins of the unit. Avoid using a pressure washer because it could damage the fins. If there are any bent fins on your system, straighten them out with a pair of pliers or with a fin comb that fits your AC system.
Clean Your Vents
The last thing that you want to do to wrap up your end-of-summer air conditioner maintenance is clean your vents. This means walking around each room of your home and physically removing the vents or using a cloth to remove any dust and debris.
Exceptional AC Maintenance Expert
Gunthers Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing is an exceptional AC maintenance company serving the American Fork, UT, area. We also offer quality heating and cooling repairs, installations, and maintenance services. In addition, we offer plumbing services, solar-powered attic fans, and sheet metal fabrication. Give our staff a call today to get the assistance that you need.
