If you are located in the Midwestern or Eastern United States, you know too well about the heatwave that we are experiencing this week.  The temperature outside in my area  is 105.7 degrees Fahrenheit as I am typing this post.  This type of weather puts a huge strain on your Air conditioning unit and your pocket book but if you keep your A/C clean you will keep your home cooler and use less energy.

Most central air type cooling systems have a unit (condenser / compressor) outside  of the home with a fan on top that blows air up and another part inside the house, normally attached to the furnace or air handler called a “A” coil.  We are going to focus on the outside unit.  Inside, the outside unit, are metal fins and a large fan on top of the unit that pulls air through vents surrounding those metal fins to keep it cool.  If these metal fins become plugged with pet hair, cotton wood from trees or other debris, the unit will have to work much harder and could even overheat and burn up if those fins are not kept clean.

Let me preface what I am about to type with a warning, if you do not feel good about cleaning the air conditioning unit yourself call an experienced cooling and heating expert to clean it.

My condenser / compressor is a square unit and I can easily see if the fins are clogged or dirty through the vents around the unit.  First, I shut the air conditioning off at the thermostat in my house.  I take a shop vac and vacuum out the hair and debris through the vents around the unit.  You might not be able to remove all of the debris but removing a good amount of it is better then having it clogged up.  I can only clean three sides of my unit without taking the covers off but in this heat, I do not want to take any chances of damaging it.

Whenever I do this, the unit runs more quietly and the fan is allowed to pull more outside air through the fins making is more efficiently and keeping it from over heating.

If you cannot clean the unit with the shop vac, you can do the following at your own risk.  This requires taking the top over off of the until and spraying the fins from the inside out with a garden hose to remove whatever is caught in the fins.  You have to make sure that all power is turned off to the unit because you normally have to remove the top cover with the fan attached to it.  This means shut off the circuit breaker in the house and remove the large, what looks like a fuse inside a small electrical box, that is normally attached to the home near the air conditioning unit.  WARNING – If the unit comes on while the cover is off, you can loose fingers, a hand or chance getting hurt very badly along with the chance of damaging the unit. I have to say it again, USE CAUTION!

After you are sure all power is off, remove the screws holding the top fan in place.  From the inside spray water through the fins from top to bottom.  Use a regular garden hose and DO NOT use a high pressure power washer.  If you use too much water pressure you will bend the aluminum fins, which cannot be fixed, and end up buying a new unit.  If you bend the fins, it will block the air flow and like the debris keep the air from moving through them.   Try to hold the hose nozzle close to the fins but do not touch the fins.  Also, the fins are sharp and will cut your fingers or knuckles if you hit your hands against them.  I have left a good amount of skin in my unit over the years.   Once all or most of the debris is gone, reverse the steps that you took to remove the cover and make sure that the screws are secure.  Once it is all back together, put the fuse back in the electrical box, turn on your circuit breaker in the home and turn your thermostat on.

Another quick note, if you spray water from the outside in, thinking that it’s easier to do, it will just push what ever is covering the fins deeper inside making the unit work harder or even causing it to fail.

I was told to do this by a good friend who has worked in the cooling and heating business for over 30 years and he said that not doing this is one of the most common causes of air conditioning system failures.  If people would take the time to keep their air conditioning units clean, not only would they save electricity and money but they also reduce the chance of costly cooling system failures.  I clean my air conditioning unit at least twice during the summer, at the start of the season and middle way though it and  sometimes more if it needs it.  This keeps my house nice and cool when the outside temperatures are not so nice and keeps the repair man away.

Stay cool.