Air Conditioner – Spring Maintenance
The most important step is beginning maintenance is shutting down the power to both air conditioner and furnace. Most new air conditioner installations are required to have power shut off in line of sight of air conditioner. This is to prevent some one inadvertently turning power back on while unit is being worked on.
Now we are going to pull the covers of the furnace and clean and vacuum the fan housing out. Also check your filter as this is a very important part of your air quality control. If you can see through your filter check the filter link for more information.
Blower compartment
If your blower fan is noisy now is the time to add some non-detergent oil or call a qualified service technician for maintenance. After cleaning your furnace we then go outside to your air conditioner unit.
Remove exterior cover and remove any leafs or debris that may have accumulated over the fall and winter. Use soap and water or commercial grade cleaner to clean coils and clean off using garden hose when completed.
Check your insulation for cracks or missing pieces and replace as required. Also check your penetrations into your house to ensure caulking is still in place and sealing all gaps.
A/C Unit
Most air conditioner technicians now recommend you do not cover your air conditioner for the winter. This keeps moisture trapped under cover and can lead to rusting and early failure of components. I recommend placing cover on top of unit only which will then allow moisture to evaporate.
Spin the blade of the air conditioner unit and listen for any noise, also good time to check fan blade for any accumulated dirt, gummy leafs or cracks which could affect balance or performance.
After replacing all covers on air conditioner and furnace, we will now fire up the air conditioner system. Go outside and listen for any strange noises from unit. You can check your two lines, small line should be slightly warm and large line should be cool to the touch.
Take a temperature reading at the return air grill and then do the same thing a at the supply air grill. The difference in readings should be about 15˚ (9.5 °C)
Written by Roger Frost
