As you enter the hot season of the year, you need to keep your home comfortable. You can easily do this using an air conditioner. since you haven’t been using the air conditioner, you need to prepare it for the season. Air conditioner repair services report that there are plenty of ways in which you can get your air conditioner ready for the season. Some of these ways include:
Cleaning or replacing the air filters
The role of the air filters is to trap the debris and dust that might be trying to get into your house. if you have gone for a long time without giving your air conditioning unit any attention, chances are that there is a lot of dirt that has accumulated in the unit.
Dirty air filters are not only ugly to look at, they also tend to make the air conditioner work harder than it should, leading to you spending a lot of money on house cooling.
Before you start using the unit, you should access the air filters and clean them. even after cleaning them, remember to clean them the subsequent times. The good rule of thumb is to clean them once every month.
Cleaning the air conditioner condenser coils
The air conditioner unit is located outdoors. When you look at it, it resembles a large fan in a metal box with sides that look like grilles. During winter, many homeowners cover it using tarp or cover in order to prevent the accumulation of debris.
If you hadn’t covered it during the cold season, you will have to clean it as dirt and debris might have accumulated.
The large fan inside the metal box moves air across the condenser coils. If there is debris in the unit, some of the coils might have clogged. anything that prevents air from flowing as well as it’s supposed to, it greatly affects the efficiency of the condenser.
For you to keep the condenser working optimally and increase the efficiency of the air conditioning unit, you should clean the condenser coils. For you to clean the coils you need to remove the side and top panels from the condenser coils.
You should then use a refrigerator coil brush or any other soft brush to gently clean the coils. When doing the cleaning, take care that you don’t bend the delicate fins or damage the coils.
Is there stubborn debris on the unit? You should release them using a commercial coil cleaner. Be cautious that you don’t spray the fan or electrical components.
Some people tend to use a hose with a trigger-style nozzle to do the cleaning. You should be cautious when doing this as you can easily destroy the fins, flood the area, or spray water on the electrical components.
If you have the skills to do the cleaning you can go ahead and clean the unit by yourself, but if you have never done it before, hire an AC contractor to help you out.
Install a programmable thermostat
If you don’t already have one, you should install it in your home. A programmable thermostat allows you to easily control the thermostat even when you are miles away from your home. There are plenty of thermostat options that you can go with. You only need to find one that is ideal for you. When it comes to the installation, ensure that the unit is properly installed.
You can do the installation if you have the skills or hire professionals to help you out.
Pay attention to the coolant lines
The coolant lines are the refrigerant tubes or pipes that run from the evaporator to the condenser. The lines are often covered with foam coolant line insulation that prevents them from losing energy.
You need to carefully inspect the lines. If you come across areas where the insulation is missing or frayed, you should replace it. To do this you need to hire a contractor who will install foam insulation sleeves or wrap the lines with foam insulation tape.
Fix the problematic areas
Even if you haven’t been using the air conditioner, it might have developed problems that might reduce its efficiency. You need to hire AC repair services Fairfax providers who will inspect the unit and if it has any issues, fix them.
