Home Maintenance and Repair
Tips for doing your own home maintenance and repair
Your Dirty Heating and Air Conditioning Unit is Coasting you Money!
Your not sure but you think your heater used to heat better and you know your air conditioner used to cool better. You've asked your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and even called your father. You have received a dozen different suggestions from its just old or the refrigerant is low, " you know you have to add more refrigerant every year." Some one even suggested that you change the filter and you may have looked at them cross eyed especially if you never changed a filter. They were closer then you think
Dirt is your Heating and Air Conditioning equipment's worst enemy. Dust, dirt, lint, cat & dog hair can plug up the coil, fan blades, and duct work and ruin the efficiency, effectiveness and shorten the life span of you Heating and Air Conditioning. When your system is plugged up the fan motor has to work a lot harder to move the air and the air won't flow through a dirty coil which means it will have a difficult time cooling your home.
Your filter will be located in the furnace or air handler in the case of a heat pump. It may also be located in a large grill in the ceiling, floor, or wall of your home. When you take the filter out you will need to determine which one you have and the size. The size can usually be found right on the filter frame. There a couple different types of filter you can purchase. 30 day disposable, 90 day disposable and washable to name three. The 30 day filters are the cheapest by far and should be changed monthly. The 90 day filters are noticeably thicker and really are the better value. The washable are ok but they tend to get forgotten.
Your air conditioning unit will be located on the roof, or on the ground next to the home. It will have a coil in it as well with thin fins typically running vertically. These fins are aluminum and get plugged very easy and should be cleaned at least 2 times per year more often if it is really dusty where you live. The compressor relies on the air pulled through the fins to stay cool. You can take a nozzle on a hose set to med spray and spraying straight into the fins forcing the dirt in to the unit where it will drain out the bottom of the unit.
You may need to call a service person to properly clean the unit out if it has been let go for awhile. Keeping these items clean will help your unit to perform better longer.