Central air maintenance

The first thing is to shut the power off to your unit before you maintenance it. This can be done by turning off the circuit breaker in your breaker box. If you have a newer unit you can turn the power off at the box on the wall near the air conditioner (really called a condenser unit). There is a power plug in the box. If you pull on the handle, the plug will come out. DO NOT TOUCH ANTHING INSIDE THE BOX WHEN THE PLUG IS REMOVED OR YOU COULD GET ELECTICUTED AND DIE! It is safe to touch the plug. Make sure that when you put the plug back in, that it is right side up or the unit will not have power.

Now that the power is disconnected , you will notice that the unit has thousands of tiny fins. If there is debris in those fins such as dirt, plant matter, pet hair, etc., then the unit is not running as efficiently as it can. This is because those fins disburse heat and if they’re blocked, they can not remove the heat from the cycling air. Thus the air that comes into your house is warmer than it should be, meaning your unit runs longer than normal to achieve the temperature you want, costing you more money.

So what is the solution ? A garden hose. Start at the top of the unit and spray at a downward angle into those fins. You can watch the matter clear as you spray. Do not use excessive water pressure. You just need enough to clear the fins. In addition, there should not be any debris or anything man made piles in front of the unit. This to will make it run inefficiently. Once you have sprayed the fins clean, then put the plug back in and your in business.Another central air maintenance tip is to change your furnace filter. The air that comes into your home goes through the same filter as the furnace. If the filter is plugged, the air conditioning unit has to work harder to get the air into your home, costing you money.

Another tip is to close the registers in the rooms you do not want to cool, like the basement perhaps. This allows more air to get to the rooms you want. That way the unit does not have to work as hard, saving you money.

If you have any questions about central air, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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