How To Prepare Air Conditioner for the Summer

When the summertime weather is just around the corner, many homeowners are worried about planning a nice summer vacation for their family and setting up their home pool. While these are great things to look forward to, you’ll need to start by thinking about the basics. Your comfort level inside of your home during the hot summer months heavily relies on your home air conditioning system. It needs to be properly prepped for the summer season ahead.

Put in a New Air Filter

Every home air conditioning system will have at least one air filter that needs to be changed regularly. The job of this filter is to trap unwanted airborne pollutants so that they aren’t floating around in your home air. Over time, this air filter will trap so many airborne pollutants that it will be clogged.

Take a moment to pop out the existing air filter and hold it up to a light. If you can see through the filter, it still has some life in it. However, if you can’t see through the filter, then it’s time to replace it with a new one. You can choose between HEPA, pleated, washable, and fiberglass air filters.

Clean Your Inside Unit

To ensure that your air conditioner runs at its optimal level, it will need to be properly cleaned out. It’s best to start with the inside air conditioning unit. You’ll want to turn the circuit breaker attached to your AC system off so that there’s no chance of an electrical problem or injury.

Remove the access panel on the indoor air conditioning unit. Start by cleaning off the evaporator coils. Over time, debris can attach itself to your evaporator coil. It’s best to utilize a foaming cleanser specifically designed for the coil. As the foaming cleanser works, the debris will fall down into the drain pan.

Next, it’s time to clean the drain pan and the drain pipe. Both of these components can become clogged with hard water and debris buildup. Use a bleach and water solution to thoroughly clean both of these air conditioner components. This will help to ensure that you don’t experience a water backup because of a clogged drain or pipe.

Clean the Outside Unit

Once you’re done cleaning the indoor unit and you reinstall the access panel, it’s time to head outside. You’ll want to start by removing the AC grille. Take a hose and wash out any loose debris that is on the fins or other components of your compressor unit.

To clean the condenser coil, you’re going to need a special cleanser that you can pick up online or at your hometown hardware store. This cleaner is going to be very caustic as it has to work hard to remove all that stuck-on debris that the outdoor elements created.

Straighten the Fins

Your outdoor compressor unit will have a bunch of metal fins. These are very small pieces that can bend easily. If the fins are bent, they won’t properly disperse the heat from your AC system. To fix this problem, you’ll need to use a fin comb to straighten the bent fins back out.

Fin combs are available at hardware stores. To identify the size of comb that you need, you’ll want to get out the tape measure. Count the number of fins that are present in a single square inch. Combs are sold by the number of fins per square inch.

Clean Up Around the Outdoor Unit

After you clean up the outside unit and reinstall the AC grille cover, it’s time to assess the situation around the unit. Any loose debris like leaves and sticks should be removed. If there are any bushes or tree branches within a couple of feet of the unit, they will need to be trimmed back. It’s imperative for there to be a good 2-foot diameter of open space around the outdoor unit. This will ensure a free flow of air through the unit.

Program Your Thermostat

Now is the time to sit down and program your thermostat based on your schedule. Consider setting your thermostat to 78 degrees when you know that you’ll be home. At times where you won’t be home, like when you go to work, program your thermostat to a higher temperature of 88 degrees. This will ensure that your air conditioning system is running in an energy-efficient manner.