How to Maintain & Clean Your Air Conditioner Yourself Updated on April 05, 2016
Things You'll Need To Clean Your Air Conditioner
There are many items needed to do this job and you likely have them in your house already.
Hex Head Nut Driver (Size may vary, see photo)
Towel
Hose (hooked up to running water of course)
1 cup of Simple Green (or similar cleaning product)
Air filter (size will vary)
Safety First
As always the first thing we want to do when working on HVAC equipment is make sure that the power is off. Most air conditioners have a service disconnect mounted to the home within a few feet of the condenser. (The condenser is the part of your air conditioning system that is located outside.) When you open the lid on this disconnect there should be a handle that can be pulled out and in turn disconnects the power supply to the air conditioner. Once you have removed the handle, make sure to shut the lid on the disconnect. Note that I said it disconnects power to the unit...not the disconnect. The incoming power here is still live and you do not want to spray this with the door open.
If you want to be extra safe or do not have a disconnect, locate the breaker in your electrical panel that is dedicated to the A/C system and shut it down.
Cleaning Your Air Conditioner Increases Efficiency
Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. We long for that summer sun to shine down so we can get outside to enjoy the day but when the day is done and it's time to come in...fire up the A/C because no one wants to sweat inside.
Like so many other things, our air conditioners need serviced. Often the repair and maintenance costs related to furnaces and air conditioners are not cheap. Well here is a step by step guide to preparing your air conditioner for the upcoming heat. It's free, it's simple and it can help to keep your air conditioner running efficiently which we all know can save us money.
