One of the most important things that you can do to keep your air conditioner in good shape is to properly maintain it, since this can help you avoid such issues as costly repairs or inflated utility bills every month. Listed below are two things that you can to do keep your air conditioner in good shape.

Remove Any Debris From The Unit

One of the most important things that you can do to keep your air conditioner functioning properly is to make sure that you remove debris from the unit itself, particularly if the unit is located underneath a tree or in a completely exposed spot in your yard. The reason for this is that branches and other debris can easily get into the air conditioner and prevent the fan from engaging at full speed or prevent the air conditioner from turning on at all.

Cleaning out the air conditioner is actually quite easy, as you can typically remove the top grill and the fan from the unit in just a few minutes with a screwdriver once you have shut off power to the air conditioner. At that point, you can simply use your hands to remove the debris that has accumulated inside the air conditioner.

Clean And Straighten The Fins

Another important thing to do to keep your air conditioner working properly is to clean and straighten the fins on the unit itself. These fins are responsible for keeping air flowing and keeping the air conditioner from overheating, so they must be free of obstructions in order to keep your air conditioner working efficiently.

In most cases, you can just use a hose to spray water on the air conditioner to remove dirt from the fins. Using a pressure washer or spraying the fins from the wrong direction can damage or bend them, which can restrict air flow.

In addition, you should also make sure to straighten any bent fins in order to restore optimal air flow. This can often be accomplished by using either a butter knife or a small screwdriver that you can slip between the fins and bend them back into place. However, be careful to not rest your hands against the fins while straightening them, as they can be quite sharp, and even something as simple as leaning on the fins will bend them.

Contact an HVAC repair service or contractor today to discuss what you can do to keep your air conditioner in good shape. Removing debris from the unit and cleaning and straightening the fins on the unit are both great ways to keep your air conditioner functioning properly for years to come.