Having a dirty air conditioner unit can cost you a lot of money. Not only does it take more energy to cool your home, it also can decrease the life expectancy of your air conditioning unit. Here are a few tips on how you can clean your air conditioning unit. These tips should help you save money and extend the life of your unit
Before you begin, it’s important to go to the thermostat inside your home and turn the setting to off. Next, find your main breaker panel and find the breakers for the air conditioning unit. Once you find the breaker for the AC, make sure to switch it off.
At this point, you are ready to go outside and work on your outside air conditioner unit. Check to see if the top of your outside unit is dirty. If it is, you can use a mild detergent like Dawn or hand soap and water. You want to make sure that you use a soap that isn’t too abrasive to metal. Once you have the soap and water, get an old rag and wash all of the dust and dirt from the top of your outside unit. With time, you should be able to get most of the grime off of the unit.
Now that you have cleaned the main part of the air conditioning unit, the next step is to take off the cover protecting the metal fins on the inside of your unit WARNING – Please Be Sure You’re A/C Breaker is Off before Attempting. First, get a screwdriver and remove the screws. Once you remove the screws, then you are free to take the grill off. Once the cover is removed, you are free to vacuum the unit. The best way to do this is to use a vacuum that has an attachment with a brush on it. Use your vacuum to brush and remove the dirt and grime from your unit. Make sure to vacuum up and down on the fins. If you brush horizontally, you may damage your fins and ruin your unit. Always remember to brush in the direction of the fins and don’t press down to hard. Let the vacuum do the work.
By following these tips, you should now be ready to clean your outside air conditioning unit. By cleaning the unit, you will be saving yourself some money and extend the unit’s life.