Are you noticing your home isn’t cooling as fast as it used to? You could be experiencing problems with the cooling fins on your a/c unit. Years worth of dirt and debris could be affecting the performance and efficiency of your unit. A low coolant level, a dirty blower fan could all pose serious threats to your unit. In this Article we will show you how you can address these problems with a few easy steps.
The condenser unit is located outside which contains a compressor, cooling fins, copper tubes and a blower fan. The fan sucks air through the fins which cools the coolant, the compressor then pumps air into the house to the evaporator passing a copper tube. The refrigerant chills the fins and tubes of the evaporator. Warm air is then drawn from the house and blown through the evaporator this process cools the air which is then blown through ducts to the rooms in the house.
Step 1 – Turn off the power to the condenser
The disconnect box is located by the unit which will consist of either a plug or switch. If you aren’t sure how to turn off the disconnect box, you can turn off the power to the unit through the electrical panel.
Step 2 – Cleaning the Condenser
Oftentimes, you will find debris such as rocks, dirt or pet hair in the fins of the condenser unit. You can remove them easily using a vacuum.
Step 3 – Fix Fins
Fins can be straightened using a butter knife. Be sure when straightening the fins that they are not inserted to deep and apply little pressure.
Step 4 – Cleaning the Interior
To clean the debris inside the condenser unit, you can unscrew the top grille and set the fan aside without damaging the wires as you clean the interior.
Step 5 – Clean fins
Now that you still have the fan removed, you can clean the fins from inside out using a water hose. Be sure not to spray the fins too hard as to not bend them. After cleaning the interior, you now can reinstall the fan.
Step 6 – Turn unit back on
After cleaning the unit, you can then turn the power back on. You can then do some check ups on the unit by changing your thermostat to cool. After that, check the uninsulated pipe. It should be warm. The insulated pipe should be cool.
If you feel that this task is better left to the professionals, give us a call. We would be glad to help you with this and make sure your air conditioning unit is running the way it should.
