As the weather starts to warm up, more and more homeowners are starting to think about turning on their air conditioning system for the season. Because your unit has been sitting out in the elements all winter long, you may see that it has gotten a bit dirty as a result. Many homeowners don’t understand why it is so important that you clean your air conditioning unit every year before you start it up for the season. Jacob's Ladder Heating & Cooling is here to talk about why cleaning your air conditioning unit is so important and share some tips for cleaning the condenser coils.

Dangers of a Dirty AC Condenser Unit

Everyone wants to know that their air conditioning system is working as efficiently as possible. This is likely your biggest electrical cost in your home during the summer months. The way that your air conditioner works is to pull air from inside your home to cool it. This will go through the refrigeration cycle and the cooled air will be blown out, while the hot air will be blown outside through the condenser fan and outdoor coils. If these coils are restricted at all, or blocked, the unit has to work much harder to blow that air outside. This means that your unit will be using much more energy to work as it normally should. Cleaning these coils is something that should be done more than once in a season and so it’s a good idea that you are aware of how to perform this task on your own.

How to Clean Inside AC Condenser Coils

The first thing you need to do is gather all of the necessary supplies. You will need gloves, protective eye wear, a vacuum with a soft bristle brush attachment and cleaner to clean the coils. Once you have gathered these items, here are the steps to clean the unit:

1. Turn off your thermostat.
2. Find the electrical disconnect box that should be located outside your home and near your unit so that you can turn off the power to the unit.
3. You will want to remove any noticeable debris that is blocking air flow to your unit. This would include leaves, sticks and trash.
4. Using the vacuum, gently use the soft bristled attachment to remove dirt and dust from the coils.
5. Using a hose sprayer, clean off the remaining debris in the coils.
6. Spray the coils with your air conditioning coil cleaner and let it sit for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off.

Central Air Conditioning Tune Up Maintenance Services & More in Oak Park, West Bloomfield, Huntington Woods, Southfield & Greater Detroit, Michigan

These steps should be done usually twice a year, once in the spring and again in the summer. When you rely on Jacob's Ladder Heating & Cooling for your air conditioner maintenance, a full cleaning is included in that service. If you don’t feel comfortable cleaning your unit on your own, one of our experienced technicians will gladly clean it for you. Call us today!