Maintaining your HVAC system at your home is going to be the best way for you to avoid very costly air conditioning repairs in the future. You are able to perform DIY HVAC cleaning and you may even be able to clean the AC duct on your own. During the cleaning process, be sure to look around for anything that may be concerning so that you can call an HVAC repair company right away to get it taken care of quickly. This will increase the lifespan of your air conditioning unit. These are some steps that you need to take if you are going to clean the unit yourself.
Before you do anything else, you need to make sure that you turn off the power to the system. This is important because it can be very dangerous to work on this machine without this crucial first step. You need to switch off the power from the breaker box and also the exterior shut off box that you will come across near the unit. After you do this, you can begin working on cleaning the outside unit. You can remove the cage at the top of the unit by using a screwdriver or a wrench. You can take a vacuum or use your hand to remove the debris away from the interior of the unit. Your next step is to clean the fins of the machine by using a strong stream spray from the garden hose, however you do need to avoid using a pressure washer as this can damage the unit. You will also want to clean out the area around the unit to keep the airflow strong as well as straightening out the fins. Finally, you should be sure to clean the coils.
Cleaning the outside unit is really only half of the job. You should move onto the inside of the system to clean the ducts and the air filter. Be sure that you change out the air filter regularly to keep the flow from the unit through the duct system at its peak performance. Lastly, you should clean the vents as best as you can in each room to ensure the flow is unobstructed as much as possible. These are things that will improve the efficiency of your air conditioning system and save you money as a result.
During the cleaning process, you should take note of anything that does not seem to be right to you. That will let you know that you should get a professional HVAC company out to perform a more thorough inspection to see if there is anything wrong. If there is something wrong, the HVAC expert would have caught it early so it will likely be less expensive to fix than it could have been. Cleaning and inspecting your AC unit is the best way for you to protect your investment as it can increase the life span of the unit. You spent a lot for the air conditioning system, so you want to make sure it lasts as long as possible.