Maintenance Tips To Keep Your Air Conditioner Running Properly

A central air conditioner is a wonderful convenience that helps cool your entire home so you can be comfortable in your home on hot days. Your air conditioner needs maintenance in order to run properly. Hiring a company to help maintain the system is one way to keep it working properly, and you can do some of the maintenance yourself in order to prevent breakdowns and other issues. Read on for some maintenance tips.

Clean The Coils

Spray your unit down with a garden hose to remove the dust, dirt, and other debris that has built up on the exterior of your unit. The coils of the unit can build up with this debris with everything in the environment blowing around and that sticks to the unit. It's best to open up the top of the unit, remove the fan and then spray the inside of the unit, spraying it out to remove the debris. This debris can form almost like a blanket that can block the airflow to the unit. Eventually, it can choke the unit and cause it to break down. Spray the unit at the beginning of the warm weather season, then once again in the middle of the season, and finally at the end.

Unclog The Condensate Drain

If your condensate drain is clogged, it can cause an overflow in the unit and can lead to flooding and water damage. Clean out the condensate drain by snaking the drain or using a shop vacuum to suck out the drainage pipe and remove whatever debris is clogging the pipe. A condensate drain can clog because of the debris that the system is sucking in through the coils outside of your home.

Keep The Unit Free Of Landscaping

The landscaping around your exterior unit should be kept free of landscaping that may be growing too close to the unit. Trim grass and make sure to blow it away from the unit, not into it. Trim bushes or trees growing too close to the unit and trim back any other plants growing too close to the unit. Never stack wood or anything else too close to the unit, as it can block the flow of air.

Prevent breakdowns and other issues with your air conditioner by maintaining it properly. Hire a professional to help maintain your air conditioning system for you, and use the tips above to help maintain your system as well. 

For more information about air conditioning maintenance, contact a local professional.