3 Simple Actions A Homeowner Can Do to Maintain Their Air Conditioner
Check and replace their filters.
- Air conditioner filters are crucial to maintain the air quality in your home since they trap debris, pollen, dirt, viruses, dust, and any other particles that would damage your HVAC system inside your home. If you have children, pets, or even seasonal allergies, an AC filter is important to upkeep. Without changing it monthly, it will lead to a congested filter and eventually the debris will float around your house or damage your system. But don’t worry, every homeowner can easily install a filter in their home right away.
- Locate your unit and turn it off before taking out your AC filter.
- Usually, your filter will be inside a return vent on the ceiling or near the floor (tip: if you have multiple AC units, make sure to replace all of them). Sometimes a single system may have more than one return vent as well.
- Open the latch to the door of the filter and/or clean it if there is dust piling up.
- Make note of how the filter was put in, its measurements, and its airflow rating before replacing it with a new one- you can easily access one at a local hardware store or have it delivered to your home at https://www.blueridgeheatingair.com/store
- Easily replace the old filter with the new one and close back up.
Maintain a clean condenser coil. Keeping your outdoor AC unit clean is important because dirt or debris can affect the proper airflow of the condenser coils. Remember, the more active your AC units are, the more you should clean them- both interior and exterior units (evaporator coil, blower fan, condenser coils, and compressor). You can buy coil cleaner from the nearest home improvement store near you to clean the condenser coils and evaporator coil (you can even carefully spray your outside unit with a hose to clean away dirt). If it doesn’t seem like your AC is cooling, cleaning your condenser coils may solve the issue since outside units work by moving heat from inside your home to outside your home. While cleaning your condenser coil sounds great, make sure to clean with care. The coil fins are quite sensitive and accidentally damaging them could prove to be harmful- making it not work properly. There’s always the risk of electrical shock or damage from chemicals in coil solutions so if the job seems too difficult, hire a professional technician to do the maintenance.
Make sure the condensate line is clear to allow for liquid runoff. Pour a cup of vinegar down the condensate drain line to clean out the mildew. You can find the pipe in the AC unit; in a garage, crawlspace, closet, or near other electrical units and simply uncap it to pour the vinegar. This action can prevent water clogging and leaking in your pipe because the vinegar will help remove the dirt or mold blocking from inside the pipe.
If you would like a professional to perform maintenance, please contact Blue Ridge Heating and Air at https://www.blueridgeheatingair.com/comfort-maintenance