Tips to Prep Your Air Conditioner for Fall

During the cooling months, perhaps no other appliance in your South Texas home works harder than your air conditioner. It removes heat from indoor air, blows cooled air through your ducts. and drains countless gallons of condensate. Show it the love and respect it deserves for keeping you cool through the hot and sticky days by prepping it for cooler weather.

Prep Your Air Conditioner

• Change the filter: Have you checked the air filter lately? The air conditioner’s filter is one of the few devices that protect and prevent your system from failing. If you run your cooling and heating systems often, check the filter each month.
• Clean vents: Vacuum or wipe the air vents. If you haven’t cleaned them in a long time, remove them to clean the inside parts, too. If you have numerous vents, just do a few each day or week until completed.
• Look for dirty ducts: When you remove the vents, look inside the ducts. Are they caked with dirt and debris? Dirty ducts can exacerbate respiratory ailments, such as asthma and allergies.
• Inspect for duct leaks and insulation: Inspect your air ducts for leaks, lack of insulation, and damage. Poor duct design makes your air-conditioning system work harder and crimps your energy budget. Seal duct leaks with mastic and metal tape. Insulate ducts outside the living spaces with the proper duct insulation with a good vapor barrier.
• Evaluate the evaporator coil: Turn off the circuit breaker to the air conditioner. Remove the panels to the indoor air handler and evaporator coil. Inspect the evaporator coil for mold and debris. Have a professional clean it if needed.
• Rinse the condensate drain: Pour a quart of 50/50 bleach and water solution into the condensate drain line outside the evaporator. This will kill mold and algae.
• Clean the outdoor unit: Clear away debris from the outdoor unit. With the power off, rinse the unit with a garden hose to remove sea salt, grass clippings, and more. Do not spray it with pressure because this will embed the dirt into the coil.

To learn more air conditioner maintenance tips, please contact CCAC. We’ve helped residents of South Texas with air conditioning issues since 1979.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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