Avoid Air Conditioner Repair, get your AC ready for the summer.
After several long months of cold weather, eventually the temperature starts warming up again. Before the first truly warm and sunny day, you want to make sure your AC is up to the task and will not need air conditioner repair. This makes late winter and early spring the perfect time to get your AC ready for the rest of the year. How long has it been since your AC fired up, and what was its condition when you switched off for the season?
No one wants to deal with too much of that burnt dust smell and you absolutely don’t want to discover that your AC was all-but-broken on the first truly hot day. So the smart approach is to prep your AC so it’s in good condition and in great shape to provide you with cold air all Spring and Summer long. Fortunately, just a few smart steps can minimize that dust smell and prep your AC for another pair of seasons of good performance.
Remove any Covers or Storage Casing
Start by looking for anything that has been covered for the cold season. If you lay on the covers, find those covers and remove them. Check the outdoor unit and the indoor unit to see if they were covered by another resident or a previous homeowner. Remove any vent covers or register covers related to your central AC if your heating system is separate.
Covers can be a risk to your AC as any cover left in place can scorch or cause a critical lack of airflow. Make sure all covers are removed with the approach of spring so that you don’t accidentally damage the covers or the equipment.
Clear and Clean the Outdoor Compressor
Find your outdoor compressor, whether it’s in the yard or on the roof. If it has a cover, remove it. Uncovered compressors, however, may need to be cleaned and cleared before the first time you start up the AC. Sweep away all natural debris like leaves and sticks, along with any unnatural debris like trash or dog toys. Make sure there is at least a two-foot clear margin all the way around the compressor.
Clear debris off the top of the compressor and use a leave blower to clear out any leaves that have fallen through the top grating. You may need to pull out some long, slender sticks that have entangled with the compressor and its grates, as this is common.
If significant growth has come up around your AC compressor unit, use a rake or gardening gloves to clear the underbrush away.
Repair or Install New Pipe Insulation
Find the piping that leads between the indoor and outdoor units of your AC. This is usually a copper pipe containing pressurized coolant fluid. As it flows through the pipes, it expands into gas or condenses – creating the cold used to cool your house. If the pipes are not properly insulated, then the cold in the coolant fluid can escape and lower the efficiency of your AC.
Find your piping and identify any insulation that might need repair or replacement along the coolant line.
Clean the Condenser Coils
Now open up your AC cabinet and find the coiled coolant fluid tubes inside, called the condenser coils. These coils get dusty over time, and that dust acts as insulation where you don’t want it. coolant is coiled together so that it creates a concentration of cool. Air is blown over the coils to make the cold air that cycles through your house. When the coils are covered in dust, the dust keeps the cold from reaching the air and your AC is less efficient.
Use a condenser brush to clean the coils and use the hose attachment of your vacuum to remove all excess dust inside the AC cabinet.
The guys in the yellow booties are here for all your air conditioner repair needs, along with expert swamp cooler conversions. Look to the pros if you have any questions about converting to refrigerated air conditioning with SoBellas Home Services of El Paso, Texas. Call us with questions like, how much does refrigerated air cost or anything about El Paso refrigerated air conversion.
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