The air conditioner is an important component of home comfort. And how unpleasant it can be if the heat is already on, and the air conditioner has not turned on! Of course, major breakdowns require the intervention of professional service technicians, but you can carry out the basic preparation of your air conditioning system for summer and winter season.
As you know, the air conditioner is idle throughout the winter period. However, garbage and last year’s leaves, along with road fumes and dirt, are collected outside and inside such an irreplaceable unit in the unbearable heat. To ensure the smooth operation of the air conditioning system in the summer season, it is necessary to take measures in advance for its maintenance and preparation.
Why Do You Need to Clean Your Air Conditioner?
If you are too lazy and do not carry out preliminary work, then in the summer such an attitude can be worth a few stifling days in your own home, while the service company will appear on calls for your air conditioner repair & installation. Therefore, you need to start debugging the air conditioner now.
Two main components are part of the air conditioning system. The first is the evaporative unit, which is a component of the indoor unit. The second is an outdoor unit located outside the apartment in the fresh air.
The work on the repair of the air conditioning system itself is not carried out independently. It should be entrusted to professionals and quite possible to clean the system on your own. Also, it will greatly reduce the cleaning process and minimize the need to attract specialists.
Main Tasks in Preparation
So, it is necessary to carry out the main independent work in preparing the air conditioner for the summer. All work must be done carefully so as not to damage the decor and interior elements, including chic stretch ceilings.
Disconnect the air conditioner from the power supply before starting work.
It is recommended to postpone the work for at least half an hour, since the charge must dissipate and further work will be safe. Otherwise, you may be injured by the electrical charge accumulated in the condensation of the outdoor unit. It would also be a good idea to take extra precaution to avoid touching any electrical components.
Replacing the Air Filter
Filters can be cleaned or replaced, and they are cleaned twice a year since they are the ones that get clogged with dust most quickly. The efficiency of the air conditioner will decrease, the airflow will be limited, and the room will not become cleaner because all the accumulated dust in the filter will circulate in it if this is not done, .
The filters themselves are located on the top or inside the inlet (air return hole). All work must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.
Outdoor Unit
Right after changing the filter, the external block of the air conditioner, which is located outside the apartment, is cleaned. Ideally, if the owners cover it with a tarpaulin or a special cover for the winter. Moreover, it is imperative to clean it of dust, dirt and debris, since all this debris can get inside the unit and block the flow of air to the individual coils.
To clean the coils, panels (protective grilles) are removed from the top or from the side, but before that, you must make sure that the air conditioner is de-energized. For cleaning, brushes are used, with the help of which accumulated dirt is removed from the coils.
The fan blades are very thin, so when wielding brushes, you need to be extremely careful not to bend them.
They can be quickly straightened using special brushes if the plates are still bent,
After the coils are cleaned on the outside, they will need to be cleaned on the inside as well. You can put a few drops of lubricant there and clean it with a soft cloth if the fan has special holes for oil,
Allow the device to dry before assembling the cleaned block.
Air Conditioner Pipes
Be sure to check the pipes with the coolant for the safety of the insulating foam on them. It should be replaced by wrapping the pipes with electrical tape if some areas it is missing,
Your air conditioner can easily cope with the cooling of the air in the house with the onset of heat if you carry out all these manipulations in a timely manner. Do not limit yourself to just preparing for the season. When summer is over, air conditioning will also need your attention.
Basic Preparation of Air Conditioning for Winter Season
Maintaining the air conditioner and pre-season air conditioner inspection & tune-up for the winter is a task that professionals perform, but you can also do some of the preparation yourself.
As a rule, firms that are engaged in servicing air conditioners usually provide the following services:
Pumping refrigerant to the outdoor unit.
Complete de-energization of the system so that it does not turn on accidentally.
Installing a special protective cover over the outdoor unit so that icicles do not fall on it and do not damage it.
Cleaning the indoor unit. Are these services needed? It is worth looking at the state of the art.
As for cleaning, it is more often carried out before the start of the warm season, and before the cold weather, you can simply rinse the filters with a solution of soapy water to rid them of dust. Freon pumping is not a mandatory procedure, it may well survive until next season without any consequences.
The services of professionals are used by those who have the device under warranty, since the warranty services may refuse to service when contacting them if the equipment was not sealed during the cold weather.
Step by step air conditioner preparation guide for winter without any help
In other cases, preparing the air conditioner for winter is a process that can be carried out on our own.
How to act independently? How to prepare an air conditioner for winter without the help of specialists? In fact, this is not difficult to do, it will take several steps.
First of all, you need to turn on the device for a couple of hours in the cooling fan mode, and then let it work for about that long in the heating mode. This will allow you to completely dry all the internal parts of the equipment. Remove dust from the outside using a damp cloth. Microfiber works best. The filters should be washed to remove all accumulated dust and dirt. The system must be completely de-energized and the batteries removed from the remote control to avoid accidental activation.
It is better not to take risks and entrust your air conditioner to the air conditioner service technicians if you are not sure that you are doing everything right.
Our professional team with more than 8 years of experience would be happy to help you to provide basic preparation of air conditioning for summer and winter season! Contact us. We provide FREE consultation.
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Interesting article, but I prefer to hire professionals for preparing my ac for winter and summer time.
Wow, seems like a lot of things I need to do. I am not going to do it myself, that’s for sure 🙂