How To Clean The Coils On Your Air Conditioning Unit

Your air conditioning unit helps provide cool air for you in the summer. The air coming into your home, you trust is clean, but over time with dirt and dust blowing into your unit, the coils can become filthy dirty and can even accumulate with mold or mildew. This can compromise your indoor air quality, which can cause all kinds of health issues such as eye and throat irritation or even respiratory issues. Keeping your coils clean on your air conditioning unit can help prevent this from occurring. See below for instructions on how to clean the coils on your a/c unit:

Here's What You'll Need:

  • Screwdrivers
  • Nut driver
  • Gloves and protective eye wear
  • Garden hose
  • All purpose cleaner
  • Soft bristle scrub brush
  • Fin comb (or a butter knife)

Instructions:

  1. To start, turn off your air conditioning unit. You can do this from the breaker, or turn off the power (the disconnect switch) at your unit, which should be on the wall near your unit.
  2. Once the power is off, you can begin cleaning the unit. Take the lid of the unit off so you can get to the inside. The lid will have the fan attached by wires, so be careful with the wiring.
  3. With the lid open, clean up the debris inside such as leaves, twigs, and other large objects. Then clean it from the inside out by spraying it with a garden hose. When spraying, be sure not to get any water on the motor inside the unit.
  4. Next, use your all-purpose cleaner to clean the exterior of the unit. Spray the cleaner on, then use the scrub brush to clean the housing and get rid of mold/mildew, dirt, and dust.
  5. Inspect the fins of the unit once it's clean, then straighten out any fins that may have gotten bent. You can use a fin comb or a butter knife. If you have an excessive amount of bent fins, you may want to call in a professional for help.
  6. Once the fins are straightened and the unit is cleaned thoroughly, replace the lid on your unit and put your air conditioner back together again. 
  7. Turn the power back on and test your unit.

Cleaning the coils on your unit can improve the indoor air quality in your home, and can also help improve the air flow coming into your unit, which can prevent a premature breakdown of your system. 

Contact a company like Kassel Appliance & AC Repair for more information and assistance. 


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