It’s that time again: The days are shorter and the nights are longer, which means it’s the season to prepare your home for cooler temperatures and possible foul weather. Besides sprinkler systems and outdoor spigots, your outside AC unit is vulnerable during the winter months, so it’s important to protect the coils from rupturing and avoid costly repair when the late spring and summer heat returns. Here are five steps to help you winterize your air conditioner:
- Be sure to turn off the power before jumping into any work on your outside AC unit. It’s important to eliminate any chance the unit fires up while you’re working on it, or on what might be an exceptionally warm day in a month when you least expect it.
- Clear out all the leaves that have collected in the unit since the last cleaning. If you use a vacuum, be sure not to bang it on the fan blades or any wire that might be inside. Wipe away all debris, dirt, and rodent (or other animal) droppings.
- Give the unit a good hosing down to eliminate the dust and remaining dirt, and let it dry, and then wrap any exposed piping with insulation.
- If you have a cover for your specific unit, great! If you don’t, try to find one that fits your unit snugly. If you can’t find an actual cover, heavy-duty plastic will work in a pinch.
- Whatever cover you have, secure it firmly with straps, rope, or bungee cords to keep the cover (or plastic) from blowing away in a storm.
The HVAC experts at Colley Refrigeration will be glad to do the winterizing for you. We can even set you up on a regular maintenance plan. And if you’ve done all the maintenance to protect your unit over the winter but you find something has gone awry when the green leaves return in the spring, reach out to us and get an estimate. We’re your best choice in Lake Jackson for heating and air repair and maintenance.
