Your AC unit can make your home a haven of relaxation time. But, with time, you may notice that your unit is working twice as hard to keep the same amount of cooling. Similarly, if you have a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the heating may degrade over time. Let’s see how to clean and boost the coolness of your air conditioning system.
Cleaning your AC is an integral part of routine maintenance that will help your system last longer. As a result, there will be fewer major repairs and a cheaper energy bill. You can clean your ac unit for greater performance with a little time, precision and patience. Check out this link for more https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-improvement/maintenance-repairs/air-conditioner-maintenance-tips.
Just some cleaning tips before you get started
Before we go on how to clean your air conditioner, there are a few things to keep in mind.
This will take some time, so make sure your schedule is free. Set aside about a half-day to complete the task properly. Also, sections of the cleaning will necessitate dexterity and exact motions. Last but not least, cleaning may necessitate the use of specialized equipment.
While you can perform this type of project by yourself, the attention and fine motor skills necessary for the job may make it a job better suited to a specialist. It’s better to hire a professional like the technicians at emergency ac repair Las Vegas if your air conditioner is very unclean or exhibits signs of wear and tear.
Whether you start with the exterior or interior portion of the device is entirely up to you. We’ll start with instructions for the inside. Read more here.
Turn off the air conditioner’s power
Because AC systems have many pieces, you should cut off the power at the breaker box for safety reasons. As a result, you won’t need any lights, making this a daylighting project. Suppose your indoor unit is located in a dark area, such as the attic. In that case, you will need to provide adequate illumination.
Open it up
The evaporator coil will be accessible through a door on your blower unit. You may need to remove the foil duct tape depending on your unit. The door is usually held in place by a few screws or bolts.
Clean the evaporator coils
Easily remove the dust from the coil with a soft brush if you have one. It will be made up of whatever particles are present inside your home. If you have allergies, a good idea is to wear a face mask because this involves skin cells and pollen.
A no-rinse coil cleaner, which you can get at your local hardware store, is the ideal cleaning solution. This spray foams up and later on starts dripping into the unit’s drain pan, picking up debris and dust along the way. Sprinkle the foam as smoothly as possible, ensuring that it reaches all of the little spots that are difficult to reach by hand.
The ideal time for doing this is on a hot day. Why is that so? Well, the AC condensation rinses out the coils when you turn the device back on.
Clean the drain pan
Wipe out the drain pan when the coil cleaner has finished its work. Starting with soap and warm water is a good idea, and bleach can aid with sanitization. Use a 50/50 solution of water and bleach. Make sure the solution is clear by pouring it down the drain. You may buy AC drain pan tablets at many home repair and hardware stores if you want a more long-term solution to keep your drain from developing algae.
If the AC drain is clogged, unclog it
You can omit this step if your bleach solution flushes readily down the drain. Your drain could be clogged if it’s sluggish. What’s more, algae and mold can grow in the drain if it is not cleaned and maintained regularly. Because the PVC pipe is normally around an inch wide, it doesn’t take much to clog it.
Your drain may lead to the exterior, usually around the condenser. Alternatively, it will drain into a utility sink or a basement floor drain. It’s possible that if your device is in the attic, it’ll drain through one of your outside walls. Take a vacuum with you as you track the drain to its end. If you’re worried about the filter getting dirty, you can take it out of the vacuum.
Grab the vacuum hose and connect it to the drain tube’s end. By wrapping a towel around the space, you can prevent air from leaking. Tape the drain and hose for the tightest seal. Turn on the vacuum and run it for 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of any accumulated debris.
Close the access panel
Reinstall the access panel with the same bolts you removed at the start of the procedure. Use a metal foil tape to cover the access panel’s top and bottom. If a professional needs to perform upkeep or repairs on the item, don’t conceal the manufacturer’s label.
For routine cleaning, this is all you should do, but you may face obstacles. Because the coils are encased on both ends, you may encounter sections you can’t access if you already have A-frame evaporator coils. If you haven’t maintained your A-frame coils in a while, you’ll likely need expert assistance to get them totally clean.
Keep it running smoothly
A clean AC is a more efficient unit. However, cleaning your air conditioner yourself isn’t always feasible. If you don’t have access to a shop vacuum, don’t want anything to do with cleaning products full of chemicals, or don’t want to spend hours painstakingly combing your air conditioner’s fins back into place, it’s time to hire a pro. You can check out DM Select Services air conditioning tune up among other options, to find out more!
Plenty of specialists not only clean your device, but also go over a detailed checklist to guarantee that it functions well. Just after a tune-up, the expert may provide you with a thorough report with the work done or any required repairs or modifications.
