Thanksgiving is over, and winter is just around the bend. Many people in the Jacksonville area are preparing their homes for the colder winter months by winterizing their homes. They are checking windows for leaks and preparing their furnaces to make sure winter doesn’t catch them unprepared. But even though summer has passed, your AC unit needs a little TLC before cold weather sets in.
Your AC unit is important for keeping your home cool in the summer. It is important to do a bit of maintenance in the fall to keep the AC unit working properly. If you haven’t scheduled maintenance this year, calling air conditioning service in Jacksonville Florida for a spring appointment might be a good idea. This way, you won’t forget once winter is over.
Winterizing your AC unit allows you to closely examine the outside for any possible problems. By noticing rust or any other problem now, you might be able to save yourself a costly repair bill in the future. Keeping the unit clean and debris-free is important in the summer, but things such as leaves and dirt can be more easily removed with the unit off in the fall. This may prevent you from needing to make an emergency call to an air conditioning service in Jacksonville Florida.
Winterizing your AC unit is quite simple and should only take a few minutes. Once you know you won’t need to turn it on for the season, turn the unit off at the disconnect switch. This will allow you to examine the unit without worry of it unexpectedly turning on or giving you a shock when you examine it. You don’t want the unit turning on in the winter because ice will cause damage to internal components.
Next, take some time to clean the unit. If there are plants around it, pull or trim them away from the unit. Take a water hose and spray the debris off the coils. Sticks and twigs need to be removed from the compressor. If you have trees that overhang the unit, you might want to consider trimming them back also. This will prevent more leaves, twigs and branches from falling on your unit.
After the unit is dry (you don’t want water inside that could cause rust), you are ready to put the cover on. There is some debate as to whether to cover the unit or not, but to keep the AC clean and avoid costly repairs, many air conditioning service Jacksonville Florida professionals recommend covering the unit. You can use a tarp or a custom-made cover that slips over the unit. These covers make sure leaves, dirt, and ice do not get into the unit and cause problems later on. The cover will need to be strapped or tied down with bungee cords, so make sure it is good and tight.
That’s it! Check the cover every few weeks to make sure the straps are secure and remove any ice or snow on top, which can tear the cover or cause damage to the AC unit. Otherwise, your AC unit should be ready for action once warm weather sets back in.
Once the weather warms up, remove the cover, check the unit for any debris that might have gotten in, and flip on the unit.
If you have any other questions regarding winterizing your AC unit, the professionals at Snyder Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electric are glad to help. With their full heating and air service, they can answer any question. They are available 24/7, every day of the year.
