Cleaning Your Outside AC Unit

Whether it’s summer or winter, cleaning an outside air conditioner is not difficult, but the time and effort it takes will be well worth it, as it will improve your family’s comfort and energy efficiency.

If you would like to do it yourself, then you will need to gather the necessary supplies together in order to prepare to clean your AC unit outside.

You will need a garden hose, shop vacuum, screwdriver, rags, a replacement filter, a pipe cleaner or soft bristled brush, and a fin comb. It is a good idea to turn off the power to your AC unit at the breaker box. The wet/dry vacuum with the soft-bristled attachment can remove any dirt, dust, or other minute particles from your unit and within the fins for anything you weren’t able to remove yourself. You may use a fin comb or even a butter knife or other thin instrument to straighten your fins back to their original position in case they have been bent. If applicable, locate the air filter and remove it. Spray it with a strong jet of water from the garden hose if it is reusable. Replace the filthy AC filter with a new one if it isn’t reusable. Remove the top access panel with a screwdriver. Carefully place it to the side. Look for dust, grime, trash, and other build-up on the condenser coils. Use a shop vac to remove debris. Once you’ve vacuumed everything up, rinse the leaves with a garden hose to remove any remaining particles. Be careful not to bend the delicate fins during vacuuming. Most of the time, a wet rag is all that’s needed to clean fan blades. Vacuum or remove any debris that has built up in fan vents. The access panel can now be replaced. Connect the machine to power again.

 

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