Cleaning Outdoor A/C Unit

Before the summer, it’s important to clean your outdoor A/C (condenser) unit of any cottonwood, pollen, and debris that may build up on it. For many A/C systems, the recommended method is to use low pressure water from your normal garden hose to gently clean the fuzzy build up that is common on outdoor units. This keeps the unit clean and ensures good efficiency and thermal energy transfer of heat out of the house. These systems are built to withstand the elements, so a spray of water will not damage them. However, we do recommend to ensure that power is off of the unit either at the breaker panel, or at the nearby disconnect (if available.) If the unit disconnect is not available, ensure that the unit’s thermostat is turned off to ensure the unit will not start during the cleaning process.

Many units have a hail cover or outer metal shell to protect the inner radiator. It is important to get between and underneath this cover to the radiator with the water used for cleaning to remove all debris from the entire surface of the outdoor radiator. This can take some angling of the water hose as well as manual inspection to ensure debris removal.

Removal of this debris allows your outdoor unit to effectively remove the heat from inside your house. If you have issues getting the unit clean, or the cleaning steps did not help the cooling efficiency of your A/C, contact us today for a service appointment at (657) 777-2869.