Keep Your AC Unit Chillin' All Summer Long

While you’re scaling back your workload for those summertime hours, your AC unit will be working overtime.

Make sure you follow some basic maintenance tips to ensure you’ll be chilling in your living room and not sticking to your leather couch. If you have a Central AC system, brave the heat for a minute. Clear the leaves and debris out of the base of the AC’s condenser. If it has a drain, make sure the drain is clear too.

Clean the blower’s fan blades, tighten any loose mounting bolts, and, if the fan motor has oil ports, put a few drops of oil or spray WD-40 into the ports for lubrication. Finally, mop up any excess water inside the condenser and reassemble it. When it comes to window A/C units, all you need is 20 minutes at the beginning of the summer to keep it running smoothly. Unplug your unit and clean the filter. It’s likely gross and full of gunk from last summer. The filter is located right behind the front grill that blows air into your room. If it’s a paper filter, trash it and put in a new one. If its mesh, clean it with warm, soapy water and let it dry. If the folder is really moldy, soak it in a solution of bleach and water.

Next, clean the evaporator coil and condenser coil with a soft-back vacuum brush. The evaporator coil is behind the filter and the condenser coil is behind the compressor.

Finally, wipe down the outside of the unit and check the window seal for cracks or wear. If there is a gap, hit it with some foam weather stripping to ensure a proper seal.

If you live in a particularly brutal area for summer heat and you tend to keep your window unit blowing all summer long, you’re probably going to have to clean it a few times before fall. It can be a pain, but it’ll keep you from dealing with a broken AC unit in the middle of July. If you’re able to afford it, contact your HVAC company to keep your AC unit well maintained. Or, do some research on getting a central air unit installed. Whatever situation is best for your home situation, make sure you’re chilling this summer, and not melting.