It is that time of year again for Dallas residences where one day it is freezing cold and the next day it is 90 degrees. Going between heat and cool is rough on your AC. It is really important to maintain your AC because nobody wants to turn on the air conditioning during a blistering hot Texas day just to find that it doesn’t work. Here are some tips for maintaining the air conditioning:
How to Maintain Your AC Room Units
First, as with every electrical appliance, unplug it before attempting any maintenance. Make a point to follow the instructions found in the manufacturer’s directions.
Be careful not to bend the unit’s coil fins. Clean them very carefully with a soft brush or the brush tool of the vacuum cleaner. If the fins are bent, use a special fin tool to gently straighten them.
Clean the water out of the tray at the bottom of the air conditioner, then rinse it with a solution of half chlorine bleach and half water. Rinse it thoroughly with water, and make sure that it drains well. Replace it when it is thoroughly dry.
If condensation is seen around the frame of the room unit, it probably means that it is pulling in warm air. This means there are leaks between the wall and the air conditioner’s housing. Seal them up with caulk both inside and out.
Another tip is to buy a unit with a timer to save energy. Contact our AC repair professionals for information.
Central System
The central air conditioning system works along the same lines as a room unit, but it is larger. Turn it off using the circuit box or the cutoff box on the outside wall.
If you believe that the unit is low on refrigerant, you must call in a professional from an AC repair service to recharge it. A layperson should never handle refrigerant.
Clean the outside condenser coils with a garden hose, but only after the coil guard is removed. This allows you to spray from inside the A/C unit. If sprayed from the outside, debris will be stuck in the fins. Again, if the fins are bent, use a fin tool to straighten them out.
Use only the type of oil recommended by the manufacturer to lubricate the unit’s motor.
Make sure to replace or clean filters. This is simple, but filters are important to keep dust out of the ducts. One way to make the air conditioning and overall HVAC system more efficient is to replace a usual fiberglass filter with a HEPA filter. These filters are fine enough to remove not just dust but pollen, spores and even smoke from the air.
Another way to clean the ducts is to remove the grille over the registers, check what can be seen of the duct walls then use a vacuum to clean them. Vacuum the return air grille as well. Make sure that all vents and registers are not blocked by furniture or plants.
Consider installing a programmable thermostat that can turn the unit on and off at set times. Call our AC repair service for help with this.
For more information about your air conditioning, whether central or room, contact DT Air Conditioning & Heating of Plano TX.
