DIY Air Conditioner Maintenance: 8 Helpful Tips

OUTDOOR UNIT

Your system pulls air in through the coils and blows it out the top. If your coils are blocked, it can significantly decrease the efficiency of your unit. So, there are a couple of things you can do.

1. Clear Debris Around Unit - Keep leaves, debris, and grass clippings at least 2ft. away from the unit. If you have bushes or shrubs, you want to trim those back too.
2. Rinse Condenser Coils - Take your garden hose and rinse off the coils. Reach what you can with the garden hose and spray from the inside out. Let the water flow down the coils for a while until it looks like you have gotten all the dirt off. Then spray off the debris you see on the outside. The fins on the unit are very fragile; be careful that you don’t bend them.
3. Visual Inspection
   - See if AC unit looks level. If it’s too far off center, you might want to have a professional level it up.
   - Check the electrical connections. Make sure there are no exposed wires.
   - Check the installation around the line set to make sure that it’s still good.
   - Reconnect the power

INDOOR UNIT

Your system pulls air in through the coils and blows it out the top. If your coils are blocked, it can significantly decrease the efficiency of your unit. So, there are a couple of things you can do.

1. Cut Power - Cut power - start by cutting power to the air conditioner.
2. Check Filter - Make sure you can still see light through it. If you can’t, it’s time to replace the filter. When replacing the filter, make certain that the arrow on the filter lines up with the direction the air flows through your unit. Replace filters as often as needed. This can be different for each home, so make sure to check it at least once a month.
3. Humidifier (if you have one) - Turn off the humidifier for the summer. Pour some water down the drain line to make sure that it’s not clogged. Some people add a little bleach to the water to clean the line.

THERMOSTAT

1. Verify Room Temperature - All you need to do to make sure it’s working properly is to verify that the temperature on the thermostat display matches the temperature in the room. Just get a visual read thermometer and make sure they match. As long as you’re within 3 degrees, you’ll be fine.