How to Maintain an Air Conditioner Central air conditioners have two separate components: the condenser and the evap­orator. The Ultimate Heating and Cooling Systems Basics Quiz The Ultimate Off-Peak Cooling Systems Quiz Keeping Cool: Air Conditioner QuizWhile there aren't many repairs you can make yourself, there are specific maintenance procedures you can follow to keep your system operating at peak efficiency. Caution: Before doing any work on an air conditioning system, make sure the power to the system, both to the condenser and to the evaporator assembly, is turned off.Your furnace and air conditioning unit are designed to be quite sturdy, but they aren’t designed to run forever. Both your air conditioner and your furnace (along with your blower) are in the business of changing the temperature of air and moving this air throughout your home. With that much air, it’s unsurprising that dust and grime begin to build up over time. The more dust and grime you have, the harder your air conditioner, furnace, and blower will have to work to do their job.

Too much dirt and they’ll stop working. In other words, if you want your air conditioner and furnace to run for a long time, you need to do a little bit of maintenance work on them. Take a look at that air conditioner. Some of the coils are blocked with gunk. It’s simply not running as efficiently as it should, which means the unit has to work harder to cool the home. If it’s overworked, it’s also more likely to break down. How can you fix that? Cleaning your external air conditioning unit is actually pretty easy. Just stop by your local HVAC supply shop and buy some cleaning solution (one jug of it will be enough for quite a few cleanings). Go home, cut the power to your AC unit using the breaker box, then wet down the coils on your unit with a garden hose. Using gloves and safety glasses, spray on some of the cleaning solution, let it sit for a while, then spray the coils down again with a garden hose to wash away both the grime and the cleaning solution.

Wait a bit longer, then flip the power back on. It’ll look like new and run more efficiently, too. What other steps can you take? Make sure you change the filter in your blower on a regular basis. Go down to your basement (or wherever your blower is located) and check the filter in your blower unit. heating cooling unit freezingIf you’re not sure when you last changed it, it’s probably time to change it. average cost of air conditioning unit replacementMark down the size of your filter, then head to your local hardware store and pick up a replacement filter.can you recharge rv ac unit Swapping the filter is easy, but the important step is to note the lifetime of your new filter and mark on your calendar when you need to change the filter.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can clean the blower as well. The blower is a giant fan usually found next to the filter. Turn off the breaker and remove the cover on the blower unit. Most of the time, these just unplug like a normal fan. Unplug it, then use a brush to clean off the blades and a vacuum cleaner to clean the area around the blower unit. Plug it back in, put it back in place, put the cover back on, and flip the breaker again. You’ll have more efficient air flow, which means a lower energy bill. There are other regular maintenance steps well worth taking for your furnace and air conditioner, but they usually require additional equipment (like a high-powered vacuum) and can cause damage if done incorrectly, so you’re better off having an expert handle them. The end result of these tasks is a more efficient heating and cooling system in your home. It will run less, which means a smaller energy bill for you, and it also extends the life of your air conditioner, furnace, and blower system, meaning you save long-term on replacement costs.

This post is part of a yearlong series called “365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),” in which I’m revisiting the entries from my book “365 Ways to Live Cheap,” which is available at Amazon and at bookstores everywhere. Images courtesy of Brittany Lynne Photography, the proprietor of which is my “photography intern” for this project.Our technical department has been notified of this error and will work to correct the problem as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience,As self-contained cooling systems, portable air conditioners are great for keeping rooms, offices, apartments, RVs, and even computer server rooms at comfortable temperatures because they can be easily moved and require no permanent installation.However, portable air conditioners still require venting through a window or wall with the help of an exhaust hose before cooling can begin. Even so, portable air conditioners have less maintenance requirements than swamp coolers. The following are some common maintenance requirements that are associated with most portable ACs:Portable air conditioners don't require permanent installation, but the condensed hot air must be vented out of the room via a venting kit (usually included).

This allows the vent hose to be slid into a window, with the exhaust hose being fitted into the appropriate window space.In some situations where venting through a window isn't feasible, a portable AC can also be vented through a drop ceiling or wall. Although this method may require more work than if the unit was to be vented using a standard window kit, this will allow you to cool an area that lacks windows. See our short video on venting portable ACs here:During the cooling process, your portable air conditioner acts like a dehumidifier because it removes water from the air. Most of this water is used to cool the actual AC and this results in better cooling efficiency. In fact, if you reside in an especially humid area, a good amount of water may be collected. However, this condensate must be removed, and portable air conditioners use various methods to accomplish this task.Portable ACs will collect condensate in buckets which need to be emptied, but more advanced room air conditioners have the ability to evaporate more of this moisture, therefore resulting in less or even no water to be emptied.

Furthermore, most portable air conditioners can support the connection of a drain hose that allows water to be drained continuously, and there are even condensate pumps available which pump the water outside or into a drain pump located indoors. Portable air conditioners will usually have some sort of air filter to eliminate airborne particles, and some advanced units may even come with built-in air purifiers complete with carbon filters and ionizers.  For effective particle abatement and optimal cooling efficiency, regularly clean or replace the filters in your portable AC. This should occur on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, depending on use.If your portable air conditioner has a washable filter, slide the filter out, immerse it in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse thoroughly, and let it dry before replacing it back into the unit. On the other hand, if you have a portable air conditioner with a carbon filter, replace this according to the manufacturer's instructions.A clean portable air conditioner will result in increased air volume, so the actual housing of the unit should be cleaned every few weeks.