.DIY Saturday #87: How to Clean your Air Conditioner & Furnace (Video)

Guest Blogger #356, Entry #936, February 4, 2012

Happy DIY Saturday! Wintertime is the best time to maintain your air conditioner unit as well as your furnace. Cleaning and maintenance of these important mechanical systems of your home will ensure you have a comfortable winter and upcoming summer.

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I think the air conditioner and furnace are two units that we forget about until they aren’t working! Today, I show you a video on how to change your furnace filter to keep it running smoothly for years to come. Then my guest blogger gives tips for cleaning your air conditioner unit.

You Tube Video – How to Change your Furnace Filter

Guest Blogger – How to Clean your Air Conditioner Unit

If you have an air conditioning unit installed in your home, it is not enough that it is installed. As with everything, it does need to be maintained. This is to ensure that the unit is keep running as smooth as possible and does not use more electricity than it should.

Clean the Filter and Replace when Needed

Most air conditioning units have a filter that can be cleaned with an old toothbrush or a regular brush. You should clean this filter every month. Every three or six months however, the air conditioner’s filter should be replaced. Every time you clean out the filter, there is always some dust that remains within the filter. This remainder builds up until it cannot be cleaned anymore.

Clean the Outside

Most people assume that as long as an air conditioner is running, it is completely devoid of all problems. This is not always true as it may be running but not optimally. If it is not running optimally, it could be using more electricity than it should just to keep the air conditioning unit running at your preferred setting.

Split air conditioners need to have their outside unit cleaned every few months especially if you live in dustier areas. The entire top exhaust of a central cooling unit needs to be cleaned to ensure efficient cooling.

Image via: Absolute Comfort

When it comes time for winter, try covering your outdoor unit otherwise snow and other debris can come into it. This can block the fan and overheat the main air conditioning unit resulting in a blown air conditioner. Let’s face it; you will not be cooling your home in winter so it is better to keep it protected than find many problems when you start it up again in summer.

Get your Refrigerant Checked

Your refrigerant helps cool the air that passes through the metal pipes. On a yearly basis, it is crucial to have the refrigerant checked by a professional. Never try to do it yourself as improper checking can lead to severe problems. In many cases, you will need to top off your refrigerant and this is usually a nominal fee.

Full Service

Although you can do most things yourself, it is important to have your air conditioning unit checked by a professional at least annually. Ask him to give you full service. He will, in a manner of speaking, bring your air conditioner back to the condition you bought it in.

Regardless of the type of air conditioning unit you have, it is vital that you take care of it. It is as simple as monthly filter and outdoor unit cleaning, refrigeration checking and covering it when not in use and yearly servicing; 4 simple ways to keep prolong the life of your air conditioner.

Allan loves sharing his experience online. Allan likes fixing appliances. He works for a portable air conditioner company.

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