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How Often Should One Clean an Outdoor AC Unit?

Your outdoor AC unit has been sitting outside for a year, accumulating dirt and debris around its cooling fins. Consider yourself snuggled in a warm, soft wool blanket on a hot summer day. The wool blanket keeps your body’s heat from escaping, causing it to overheat.
Doesn’t that sound awful? Every year, it goes through the same battle when your air conditioner is covered in grass clippings, leaves, dust, and dirt. It’s also costing you money.

1. When Should You Clean Your Exterior Air Conditioner?

Your AC must effectively transfer heat from your house to the outside to perform correctly. Dirt, dust, and other debris in air conditioning coils can prevent this by isolating the coils from the surrounding air and lowering the heat transfer efficiency.

The coils of an air conditioner should be cleaned at least once a year to reduce energy usage and electricity expenses. 

Air conditioning maintenance should ideally be done twice a year; however, for specific systems, once is sufficient. After turning off the power, clean the condenser’s coils by removing large particles and rinsing them with a hose.

The evaporator is typically difficult to reach and should be cleaned by an expert. The fins on the evaporator coils and condenser are highly sensitive and easily bend. Search for ‘AC companies near me’ and leave the cleaning to a professional who will clean the coils during a routine maintenance visit. 

2. Ways You Can Clean AC Condenser Coils

  • Turn the main power switch on and off to control the thermostat.
  • Examine the damaged equipment visually.
  • Remove leaves and debris from the unit’s exterior.
  • Straighten the bent fins with a cooling fin comb.
  • Carefully remove the top of the device.
  • Remove dirt and debris from the unit’s bottom. Vacuum the fins gently using the brush element. Vacuuming the fins may bend them; therefore, use an up and down motion.
  • Wait 5 minutes after spraying the outside of the fins with a coil cleaning agent, a combination detergent, or water. Rinse the coil filter with water using a garden sprayer. Spraying the fan motor should be avoided.
  • Reassemble and switch on the power and set the thermostat on COOL mode. Turn on the air conditioning.
  • Outside, listen for unexpected noises; schedule an AC installation in Cornwall ON and talk to a specialist if you hear anything.

3. How Can Dirty Coils Be Avoided?

  • AC installation in Cornwall, ON has specialists to inspect the air filter at least once a month and replace it to maintain the evaporator coils clean.
  • An air filter may allow dust and debris to accumulate on the evaporator rather than on the air filter. It may also limit airflow in the system, leading to other issues.
  • Keep a two-foot radius around the condensing unit clear of vegetation and debris, such as waste, grass, plants, and overhanging trees or bushes, to keep the coils clean.
  • Large debris should be removed when it falls into the condenser coils, and clippings should be discharged from the condenser during mowing.

Conclusion

Schedule expert AC maintenance every spring to keep your air conditioner clean and energy-efficient. Wylie Mechanical provides friendly, on-time heating and air conditioning service. If you are searching for AC companies near me in your search engines, be sure to contact us. Give us a call at 613-701-2030 for additional information on any of our HVAC services.