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How To Clean Air Conditioning Unit

Cleaning your air conditioner is essential for prolonging its lifespan and ensuring its optimal functioning. Here are some tips you can use for keeping your unit clean.

Before you begin cleaning your air conditioner, it’s important to turn off the power to the unit. Go to the circuit breaker box and shut off the electricity. This will help to prevent an accident or injury. However, you may also lose lights, so have a flashlight ready.

Open Your Air Conditioning Unit

Remove the door to the evaporator coil on your air conditioner. You will probably have to remove some screws or bolts meant to keep the door secure. Additionally, depending on the unit you have, you may have to remove foil duct tape as well.

Clean the Evaporator Coil

Put a mask on to protect yourself and prevent an allergic reaction or asthma attack before you perform this step. Use a soft brush to brush away dust and other debris from the evaporator coil. Spraying on a no-rinse cleaner is probably the best option for cleaning this component.

Clean the Drain Pan

Remove the drain pan and clean it with a combination of hot water and soap or a mixture composed of equal parts water and bleach. You can also get drain pan tablets to prevent the growth of algae in your air conditioning unit’s drain pan.

Clean the Drain

Next, you should check the drain of the air conditioner for clogs. You can use a wet vac to remove any debris accumulated inside it. However, if you regularly keep it clean, the drain will not get clogged.

Once you’re finished cleaning these internal parts, you should replace the access panel and reattach the screws the way you found them.

The power should still be off when you disconnect and remove the grille to clean the outer portions of your air conditioning unit.

Remove Debris

Clean out any debris you find in the unit. There may be dirt, leaves and other outdoor clutter lingering. You can remove it by hand or use a wet vac to suck it up.

Clean the Condenser Coil and Fins

Use a special cleaner to clean the condenser coil. Always be careful when doing this because the cleaner can burn the skin. You should also wear a mask to prevent yourself from inhaling its fumes. Never use this product on the indoor components.

Since they’re very delicate, clean the fins carefully. Straighten them out after you clean them. You can use a special tool specifically designed to do this.

Clean Around the Unit

After replacing the grille, you should clean the area around your air conditioning unit. To prevent problems with airflow, you should keep at least two feet clear.

If you need a technician to service your air conditioner in or near the Burbank area, you can turn to Certified Service. Our experienced team performs both heating and cooling installations, maintenance and repairs. Give us a call today.