Imagine your body is wrapped in a fuzzy, wool blanket on a sizzling summer day. The wool blanket prevents heat in your body from escaping, causing your body to overheat.But your air conditioner goes through this same struggle every year when it gets covered in leaves, dust and dirt. And it’s costing you money.Look at the outside unit on the left of this image from AHRI. Its job is to release heat the refrigerant absorbed from your indoor air.But if the outside unit’s condenser coils (what the refrigerant flows through) are covered in dirt, it can’t release the heat. Just like how your body couldn’t release the heat when wrapped in the wool blanket.So the air conditioner needs to run longer to cool your home. You spend more money. And the air conditioner risks overheating—leading to a breakdown on the hottest day of the year.So here’s how to prevent all that by cleaning the outside unit.Do this at least once a year, preferably during spring.Cleaning the air conditioner’s outside unit is just one of many tasks that need to be done to maintain your system’s energy efficiency.

Check out our maintenance checklist to see everything we do during a maintenance visit. This includes cleaning your outside unit, if you don’t have the time to do it yourself.Schedule a $88 air conditioner tune-up today.Did you find this article helpful? Sign up for our newsletter to get home how-to’s, money-saving tips and specials sent straight to your inbox.For more information on any of our HVAC products or services, contact us online.Here Comes the Sun... Cleaning Your Air Conditioner Increases EfficiencySpring is here and summer is just around the corner. We long for that summer sun to shine down so we can get outside to enjoy the day but when the day is done and it's time to come in...fire up the A/C because no one wants to sweat inside. Like so many other things, our air conditioners need serviced. Often the repair and maintenance costs related to furnaces and air conditioners are not cheap. Well here is a step by step guide to preparing your air conditioner for the upcoming heat.

It's free, it's simple and it can help to keep your air conditioner running efficiently which we all know can save us money. Chillin' With Your A/CWhen is the last time you had your A/C cleaned? This year 2-3 years ago 4-5 years ago NeverSee results without voting Things You'll Need To Clean Your Air ConditionerThere are many items needed to do this job and you likely have them in your house already.high discharge pressure on ac unit Hex Head Nut Driver (Size may vary, see photo)how to hook up gauges on ac unit Hose (hooked up to running water of course)no power to hvac unit 1 cup of Simple Green (or similar cleaning product) Air filter (size will vary) Service DisconnectClick thumbnail to view full-size

Safety FirstAs always the first thing we want to do when working on HVAC equipment is make sure that the power is off. Most air conditioners have a service disconnect mounted to the home within a few feet of the condenser. (The condenser is the part of your air conditioning system that is located outside.) When you open the lid on this disconnect there should be a handle that can be pulled out and in turn disconnects the power supply to the air conditioner. Once you have removed the handle, make sure to shut the lid on the disconnect. Note that I said it disconnects power to the unit...not the disconnect. The incoming power here is still live and you do not want to spray this with the door open. If you want to be extra safe or do not have a disconnect, locate the breaker in your electrical panel that is dedicated to the A/C system and shut it down. Remove the Top of the Air Conditioning UnitNow that the power is off, use your hex head nut drivers to remove the bolts that are mounted around the top of the unit.

Once these bolts are removed, the whole top will be able to be lifted off of the condenser along with the fan and motor. Do not remove the bolts that hold the fan and motor to the lid. There will also still be wires attached from the motor to the service panel on the side of the unit. Leave these wires attached as I do not want to involve you with any of the electrical components in the service area. You should have enough slack that you can swing the lid off to the side and set it up so that the wires are not stressed or rubbing on anything sharp. NOTE: While performing this maintenance, it is important not to smash the fins that are wrapped around the condensing unit. These fins allow air to be pulled into the condenser. If smashed or clogged, the air cannot pass over the coils and compressor fluidly and will decrease efficiency and potentially cause the unit to overheat. If you do smash a few or a few were already smashed, they do sell combs for opening back up these fins. If you do not have a comb, others items may suffice in opening them back up with a little extra time and care.

What Makes an Air Conditioner EfficientAir conditioning efficiency (aside from it's electrical components) is based on the coil area around the unit. The larger the area, the more air that can pass over the coils thus assisting the superheat process. Since you can't increase the coil area, keep it clean for top performance. How Much Do You Know About Air Conditioning? Start Cleaning That A/CWith the lid removed you should now be able to easily access the inside of the condensing unit. Start cleaning by removing any debris (leaves, "helicopters", etc...) in or out of the unit that can be removed by hand. This will keep water from being trapped under leaves and such that lead to the eventual rust and breakdown of the unit's structure. Now, place a towel over the service panel area. This will not prevent all water from entering the panel but can help to catch a fair amount.That's right, spray your hose from the inside out in the unit. Remember, air is being pulled into the unit thus spraying from the outside in only forces the dirt deeper into the fins.

There is no need to worry about the water. These units are made to be outside so nothing your doing here is anything nature hasn't done already. Just be sure of a couple things... Don't have the pressure set so high that it bends the fins around the unit. Do your best not to spray directly into the service panel area or at the service disconnect. Again, I'm not too worried about these items as they are rained on regularly but there's no reason to test their limits. Once you're done spraying out the dirt, you should be able to look through the fins or brushes and see daylight. Remount the lid to the air conditioner's condensing unit as it was and bolt it down. Change Your Air Filter and Clean Your DrainSpring is a great time to replace that air filter. After being couped up all winter with the dust and pet hair, it is likely that this is the time of year your filter is the dirtiest. Air conditioning is very finicky and sensitive to air flow. If the filter is clogged, your fan will have to work much harder and the evaporator coil is likely to freeze solid.

This is not good, causes a mess and ultimately renders the A/C system useless. Lastly, I like to clean my A/C drain every year. This is optional and doesn't necessarily affect the efficiency of the unit but nasty deposits do build up in this line which could lead to blockage. A cup full of Simple Green is what I use because it works and is environmentally safe. A Couple of Departing "Tid-Bits" About Your Air Conditioning SystemThe evaporator coil is the second part of the split air conditioning system. This is the portion that is on top of your furnace. Here in the photo above, you can see that I have room between the furnace and evaporator coil. If you have this as well and have the tools to create an access panel here, that is a good idea. Reaching into the bottom of this coil, you may be able to remove blockage from dirt and hair that may have gotten past the filter. (Again, being careful of the fins.) If this cannot be done with ease, then I suggest you contact a professional HVAC technician to check this for you.

I also 100% stress that you are not to interact with the refrigerant at all. If you've cleaned the unit and it seems to still not be operating properly, leave it to a professional to check the refrigerant charge in the system. This requires specialty equipment, is very dangerous and if caught without the proper certification, carries a very stiff fine and penalties. Potentially prison and tens of thousands of dollars courtesy of the EPA. More by this AuthorAir Conditioners4 Things That You Should Know About Your Air Conditioning SystemThe information in this hub will educate you and make you more comfortable with what you're being told by your HVAC service provider. Air ConditionersHow to Clean Air Conditioner CoilsCleaning your air conditioning coils doesn't just make the unit look better. This easy to perform maintenance will save you money, extend the life of your condensor and help to prevent the breakdown of air conditioner... Home AppliancesHow to Diagnose and Repair Your Air Conditioner (A/C) CapacitorAir conditioner capacitors are a common cause of A/C breakdowns and very simple to replace.