Every Fall I receive calls from folks wanting to learn what they can do to help winterize their whole house central air conditioning system with the idea they can save some money…especially during this economical downturn.
If you must, follow the guidelines below but as I always recommend it’s best to pay the experts to come out in the fall after the cooling season to check and clean and service your air conditioning system. Heating and air conditioning companies often offer spring/winter seasonal specials to service heating and air conditioning systems.
Clean indoor and outdoor coils helps maintain high efficiency operation of your air conditioning system and helps the unit from over-working to achieve desired cooling temperatures and saves on electrical bill too!
Providing your system has been operating just fine during the cooling season, a simple cleaning of dust and lint from the indoor coil and the drip pan located within the plenum which sits on top of your furnace is recommended. There should be an access door located on the plenum to access the indoor coil and coil drip pan.
Cleaning of the ‘fins’ of the coils of the outdoor unit is important and best left to the heating and cooling company experts but if you must... the first step is to disconnect the electrical power to the outdoor unit!!! There usually is an outdoor electrical emergency disconnect mounted on the building structure within a few feet of the outdoor condenser. Switch the outdoor electrical emergency disconnect to OFF before attempting to clean the outdoor condenser. If for some unusual reason there is no emergency electrical outdoor disconnect near the outdoor condenser stop what you are doing and call your local heating and air conditioning company to install one for you.
When checking your outdoor condenser look for bent or smashed aluminum fins on the coil tubing which wraps around within the outdoor unit inside behind the cowling. It is important that these soft aluminum fins be straightened out for proper functioning of the outdoor unit. Heating and air conditioning companies use a “comb” to insert between the aluminum fins to straighten them out. Its important air circulates between these coil fins. Some hardware stores and heating and air conditioning supplies stores sell these combs but to use the comb to straighten the fins requires removing the entire outdoor unit cowling. Not something the homeowner should attempt…it’s easy to take the cowling off but in many cases very difficult to put back together unless you know what you are doing.
After having switched OFF the outdoor emergency disconnect carefully disconnect the top cowling which also holds the fan unit by removing the screws. Carefully move the top cowling with fan off to one side of the top of the outdoor unit just far enough to get your water hose down into the unit. Be careful not to pull the fan wiring lose.
Any light amount of cottony material or other airborne material stuck to the fins and coils of the outdoor unit during the cooling season needs to be removed. Using 50% light non-acid based detergent with 50% water in a spray bottle, spray your coils with this non-acid based detergent. Let this solution sit on the coils for 3 or 4 minutes then spray the coils from the inside of the unit outward using low water hose pressure. If the cottony stuff is as thick as to sheet onto the coils, stop and call your local heating and air conditioning company to properly remove this amount of debris from the coils.
High water pressure can damage the fins of the coils! With LOW WATER PRESURE spray water from the inside of the unit outward through the coils which should help remove a lot of the cottony stuff and other dirt from the coils and fins. Make sure to cleanse the coils of any light non-acid detergent solution used to clean the coils. NEVER spray water from the outside into the coils. Never spray water at an angle onto the coils which will bend the fins.
Check the inside of the outdoor condenser for leaves or pine needles or other debris making sure all drain holes at the bottom of the unit are open.
Once your unit is clean and dry, place a proper high quality, long lasting breathable treated canvas air conditioner cover onto your outdoor unit to keep your condenser clean, dry and free of any possible condensation during the cooler weather and harsh winter elements. Never use non-breathable coated materials to cover your outdoor unit. High quality proper air conditioner covers help greatly in protecting and prolonging the life of your air conditioning system investment.
If you must, follow the guidelines below but as I always recommend it’s best to pay the experts to come out in the fall after the cooling season to check and clean and service your air conditioning system. Heating and air conditioning companies often offer spring/winter seasonal specials to service heating and air conditioning systems.
Clean indoor and outdoor coils helps maintain high efficiency operation of your air conditioning system and helps the unit from over-working to achieve desired cooling temperatures and saves on electrical bill too!
Providing your system has been operating just fine during the cooling season, a simple cleaning of dust and lint from the indoor coil and the drip pan located within the plenum which sits on top of your furnace is recommended. There should be an access door located on the plenum to access the indoor coil and coil drip pan.
Cleaning of the ‘fins’ of the coils of the outdoor unit is important and best left to the heating and cooling company experts but if you must... the first step is to disconnect the electrical power to the outdoor unit!!! There usually is an outdoor electrical emergency disconnect mounted on the building structure within a few feet of the outdoor condenser. Switch the outdoor electrical emergency disconnect to OFF before attempting to clean the outdoor condenser. If for some unusual reason there is no emergency electrical outdoor disconnect near the outdoor condenser stop what you are doing and call your local heating and air conditioning company to install one for you.
When checking your outdoor condenser look for bent or smashed aluminum fins on the coil tubing which wraps around within the outdoor unit inside behind the cowling. It is important that these soft aluminum fins be straightened out for proper functioning of the outdoor unit. Heating and air conditioning companies use a “comb” to insert between the aluminum fins to straighten them out. Its important air circulates between these coil fins. Some hardware stores and heating and air conditioning supplies stores sell these combs but to use the comb to straighten the fins requires removing the entire outdoor unit cowling. Not something the homeowner should attempt…it’s easy to take the cowling off but in many cases very difficult to put back together unless you know what you are doing.
After having switched OFF the outdoor emergency disconnect carefully disconnect the top cowling which also holds the fan unit by removing the screws. Carefully move the top cowling with fan off to one side of the top of the outdoor unit just far enough to get your water hose down into the unit. Be careful not to pull the fan wiring lose.
Any light amount of cottony material or other airborne material stuck to the fins and coils of the outdoor unit during the cooling season needs to be removed. Using 50% light non-acid based detergent with 50% water in a spray bottle, spray your coils with this non-acid based detergent. Let this solution sit on the coils for 3 or 4 minutes then spray the coils from the inside of the unit outward using low water hose pressure. If the cottony stuff is as thick as to sheet onto the coils, stop and call your local heating and air conditioning company to properly remove this amount of debris from the coils.
High water pressure can damage the fins of the coils! With LOW WATER PRESURE spray water from the inside of the unit outward through the coils which should help remove a lot of the cottony stuff and other dirt from the coils and fins. Make sure to cleanse the coils of any light non-acid detergent solution used to clean the coils. NEVER spray water from the outside into the coils. Never spray water at an angle onto the coils which will bend the fins.
Check the inside of the outdoor condenser for leaves or pine needles or other debris making sure all drain holes at the bottom of the unit are open.
Once your unit is clean and dry, place a proper high quality, long lasting breathable treated canvas air conditioner cover onto your outdoor unit to keep your condenser clean, dry and free of any possible condensation during the cooler weather and harsh winter elements. Never use non-breathable coated materials to cover your outdoor unit. High quality proper air conditioner covers help greatly in protecting and prolonging the life of your air conditioning system investment.
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