How to Do Maintenance on a Central Air Conditioner
Performing regular maintenance on your central air system can improve its performance and make it last longer. Maintaining the central air conditioner is also a way to avoid expensive repair work. It is important to understand how to work on a central air conditioner before doing maintenance.
Items needed:
- Hedge clippers
- Lawn trimmer
- Hard-bristled brush
- Air conditioner filter
- Screwdriver
- Phone Book
- Internet
- Shut down the power to the central air conditioning unit at your breaker box before attempting to work on it.
- Determine where your central air conditioner unit is located. Most of the time it will be on one of the sides of your house.
- Use a pair of hedge clippers or a lawn trimmer to get rid of any vines, weeds or branches that may be stuck in the unit.
- Scrub away at any debris that may be stuck inside the central air conditioner fins with a hard-bristled brush.
- Find the location of your air conditioning/furnace inside. Use a screwdriver or unlock the tabs on the screen to access the air filter. If has been 2 or 3 months since the filter was last changed, purchase a new one from your local hardware or department store. You can find the size of the filter you need by looking at your current filter.
- Place the new filter in the area where you removed the old one, and put the screen back over the filter. You may need a screwdriver to replace screws or simply press the tabs back in the locking position with your hands.
- Go back to the breaker box to turn your air conditioner back on.