Spring Cleanup: Protect Your A/C Unit from Damage

Protect your A/C unit from damage

Spring is in full swing. Everything is blossoming, and the grass is growing like crazy! How does your air conditioning unit look? Is it able to “breathe”? If your AC unit is covered in dust, pollen, leaves or grass clippings, it might be struggling for air. If air can’t easily be drawn into your AC unit, then it will not function as efficiently as it should. Here are some common issues that interfere with your AC unit’s ability to work properly:

• Dirt, seeds or pollen clogging the exterior or coils
• Grass clippings blown into the AC unit, clogging coils and preventing proper air flow
• Overgrown shrubs or plants touching the AC unit and blocking air flow
• Rocks or sticks jamming the fan
• AC electrical line clipped by a weed eater, cutting power to the HVAC system

You can take some minor precaution to prevent major damage or disruption to your air conditioner. Trim shrubs and plants away from the AC unit using some gardening shears or a pruning tool. Remove and/or transplant plantings that have outgrown the space near your AC unit.

When mowing or using a weed eater to trim grass or weeds within a few feet of your AC unit, temporarily cover the unit and its electrical line with a tarp. Remove the tarp as soon as you’re finished so that the unit can “breathe” again.

If dirt or pollen is visible on the AC unit’s exterior and just inside it on the coils, you can clean some of this off yourself. First, shut off the power to the AC unit. Gently remove pollen or dust with a dry, soft-bristled paintbrush so as not to crush the delicate coils. Hose off the exterior of the unit using a gentle spray of water to remove dirt from the exterior metal casing. If any large pieces of debris are lodged in the coils, give us a call to remove them and to check the coils for damage.

Next winter, cover the top of your AC unit with a loose piece of plywood or a breathable material to keep icicles and piles of snow out of your AC unit. No need to tarp it. Don’t forget to remove the plywood in the spring, before you begin using your air conditioner again.

Give Hillside HVAC a call today so you can be prepared this summer! DE: 302-738-4144. In MD: 410-398-2146