As a general rule, no broken air conditioners in January. Far and away, the most popular time for malfunctions and total failures has been during historic heatwaves.
As soon as the weather starts to warm up, do yourself a favor by checking your own HVAC system – it’s the difference between quietly scheduling some low-pressure maintenance, and feverishly dialing the phone in your own puddle of sweat.
-
Go out.
First things first: turn off the power to your cooling and heating systems by turning off the circuit breaker and thermostat. Under NO state if you touch anything here while it’s still on. More info at thermostatlab.com
Furthermore, you will find that one of the easiest ways to anticipate problems with your air conditioner is to go outside and inspect your condenser unit. Over the last year or so, this unit may have been exposed to dirt, grass clippings, snow, weeds, leaves, and more. It is important to clean the unit of any debris to ensure optimal function.
Take your vacuum cleaner, and use a hose — preferably with an extra brush — to vacuum the sides of the unit. The fins here are a bit delicate, so be careful. From there, clear an area of at least three feet around it.
At this point you may choose to treat the bent fins gently with a tool such as a plastic knife, or a wire brush. However, if you have a lot of bent or badly damaged fins, you may want to leave them to a professional.
-
Check Filter and Condensation.
Chances are, you know where is your filter located and have replaced it (or replaced it) at some point. After all, this is the key point for the service. The filter is usually located in an “air handler” near the return line, on the return line itself, or both.
After you have found and removed the air filter, determine whether or not it can be reused. If so, you can vacuum and rinse. Let it dry before replacing. From now on, it is important to clean or replace the filter every three months.
One of the most common problems with central air conditioning is a clogged condensation line. To do a quick check on yours, find the condensation pan – it may be near that air handler. If it has liquid in it, it’s likely your drain is blocked.
Some handy homeowners tackle this themselves, but beyond cleaning the pan itself, it might be time to consult our third and final tip.
-
Hands-off!
Is your AC still under warranty? Are there any loose electrical components? Did you find ice in your condenser unit? In any of these cases, it is best to stay away. Call your provider or AC Oshawa for a safer and more thorough inspection.
What’s too hard for you to handle is easy for HVAC professionals. Don’t get burned by your air conditioner; keep it clean where you can, take a look at the main sections to see if anything went wrong, and enjoy a cool, clean, worry-free summer.
