HVAC Maintenance: Get Your AC Ready for Summer

Follow this AC maintenance checklist before turning on your air conditioner for the season to avoid harming your HVAC system.

Stop! Don’t just switch the thermostat to “Cool” when things start heating up outside.

You can make your home a summer oasis by properly prepping your AC system. Do it wrong, though, and there could be HVAC repairs in your future that you could have avoided.

Clean the condenser coils

Cleaning the condenser coils makes it easier for the air conditioner to remove heat from the air, which also helps the condenser use less energy. Ideally, take care of this job before air-conditioning season starts.

First, turn off the AC inside at the thermostat. Then shut off the condenser—look for a metal box attached to the outside of the house near the AC’s condenser unit and switch it to the off position. Some models have a block to remove, instead of a switch.

Then remove dried leaves, overgrown vegetation and other clutter that are on and near the condenser unit.

Next, use a garden hose without a spray attachment to gently rinse the condenser coils with water. Avoid the electrical connections on the back. Flush the space between the coils too. Keep the water pressure low, or you could bend the fins.

Turn the condenser back on. Allow ample time for the coils to completely dry before turning on the AC inside at the thermostat.

Check the insulation on the coolant line

A coolant pipe connects the evaporator on the air handler to the condenser outside. If the foam insulation that covers the line is torn, replace the insulation.

Shut off the furnace humidifier

Your air conditioner helps keep you cool by removing humidity from your house—so you definitely don’t want the humidifier attached to your furnace to be pumping moisture into the air. If your furnace is equipped with a humidifier, turn off the humidifier. If your humidifier doesn’t have an on/off switch, move the damper door lever to the Cool position, which reroutes the cooled air so it doesn’t go through the humidifier.

Check the fan

Turn the thermostat fan switch to On. If you don’t hear the fan kick on, call for service.

Replace the air filter

At the start of cooling season, check the air filter in the furnace and replace it if it’s dirty. Then check it every month that you run the air conditioner (and the furnace, for that matter) and replace it if it’s dirty. A dirty air filter blocks the flow or air, making your HVAC system work harder.

Something not working right? Need help getting your AC ready for warm weather? Keep your cool and let our experts handle it, schedule your appointment today.