Originally published on April 9, 2018
Summer is coming, is your AC unit ready?
- Remove covers
This includes condenser covers, coil blankets, or lids. Remove before turning to avoid major repairs or replacements.
- Inspect panels
If the panel covering the electrical connections is missing, call a qualified technician to inspect your unit.
- Remove debris
Wash away any debris such as stones, leaves, twigs and clear any vegetation growing around the unit. Often, debris hinders heat transfer lowering the performance of the unit.
- Replace damaged insulation
Inspect the two refrigerant lines running from the outdoor unit to the indoor air handler. You should be able to find a small pipe and a larger pipe. If you notice any damage to the larger pipe, it can result in a loss of cooling which affects (damage the system) your unit and causes a loss of energy.
- Inspect the indoor unit
Replace your filter. Change in season is a good time because cleaning a dirty and clogged one can lower your unit’s energy consumptions by 5-15%.
- Check the coil drain
Check to make sure the line is in the proper place and has not been moved or broken. Inspect to check whether it would drain properly and in the appropriate location.
- Clean supply vents and clean the vent grills
You could vacuum any dust or pet hair inside and make sure it’s not clogged by any debris.
- Turn on your unit and test it- to make sure there is cool airflow through the indoor vents
If you notice that the airflow is not enough or the airflow isn’t cooling, then something might be wrong, and you should immediately turn off your system. You could also go through the above checklist again and try to turn it on again. If your unit is still giving you issues with its cooling, then contact your HVAC contractor to inspect the unit.
