How to Protect Your Air Conditioner in the Winter

Every year when the leaves start falling, countless homeowners are busy winterizing their homes. Unfortunately, many of them forget to include the air conditioner on their list of things to winterize. In order to help rectify that situation we're here today to provide a bevy of useful hints related to protecting your air conditioner in the winter. Here's what you need to do.

Steps to Take Before Winter Comes

The calendar might indicate that winter doesn't start until late December, but there is no reason to wait until the snow is flying and the temperatures are mind-numbingly cold to start getting your air conditioner ready. Here are some steps you should take now, before Old Man Winter comes knocking on your door:

• Change the air filter — Whether your air conditioner is a stand-alone unit or part of the larger HVAC system you can't go wrong by changing the air filter. By the time late fall rolls around and you stop using the AC the filter no doubt has months of accumulated dirt and other pollutants clogging its surface. If your AC is part of a two-way HVAC system changing the filter in the fall will help ensure clean air is circulated during the winter. And if your air conditioner is independent of the heating system changing the filter now will ensure nice clean air the next time you fire up the AC in April or May.
• Check for noises — Before you shut down the air conditioner for the winter, run it for a while and listen carefully for strange noises, including rattling, banging, screeching or squealing sounds. If you hear anything that doesn't sound right call an HVAC professional and have them perform an HVAC cleaning and inspect the unit. If there is anything wrong, have them fix it. This way the air conditioner will be ready to provide first-class service when the weather warms up.

• Clear the area around your outdoor AC unit — When the warm weather finally does return you don't want to have to do a bunch of prep work before you can get the air conditioner up and running. You want it available the first day you need it.
  
  One good piece of preventive maintenance you can do now is to clear the space around your outdoor AC unit, before everything gets frozen into place. That means removing fallen leaves, small branches and other dirt and debris from within a foot of the unit.
• Invest in duct cleaning — The air conditioner has been working hard for months and chances are a fair amount of dirt, dust, pet hair, pollen and other irritants have collected in the ductwork. It's important that you remove this material now, before the heating system kicks in and starts distributing it throughout the house all winter when everything is closed up tight and there's no way to escape it. Steve's professional air duct cleaning will make sure your ducts are sparkling clean and hygienic.

While the pros from Steve's Air Duct Cleaning are at your home cleaning the air ducts, make sure to ask them to perform their dryer vent cleaner magic at the same time.

Preparing an Outdoor Air Conditioning Unit for Winter

Outdoor air conditioners typically do yeoman's work during the hottest months of the year. But they can become vulnerable once the leaves fall and the temperatures turn cold.

Turn off the power

Most homeowners with dual-purpose HVAC systems (heating and air conditioning) flip the thermostat to heat when winter approaches. We recommend you take the extra step of cutting power completely to the AC. Why? Because if you don't unseasonably warm weather could cause the air conditioner to turn on. If it does, it could draw in moisture that has been collecting on the unit, which could promote corrosion. Typically the heating and heating and air conditioning components of an HVAC system have separate electric circuits. It's just a matter of finding the power switch for the AC and turning it off.

Add insulation

Today's air conditioners are more sophisticated than they were just 20 years ago. In some ways, however, more sophisticated means in need of more protection from the elements. As such, adding insulation to the AC unit to protect various components from freezing during the winter is a good idea. Wrap tubular foam insulation around all exposed pipes. Just make sure it is self-adhesive insulation. But don't just add it and forget it. Check on it regularly during the winter to make sure nothing has fallen away.>/p>

The following video provides some useful tips on insulating the pipes on an outdoor AC.

Cover the outdoor air conditioner

Today's outdoor air conditioners are designed to deal with rain, snow and a wide range of temperatures. But they can't really protect themselves against things that come blowing in on the wind or drop from trees during the late winter/early spring. Because of this, it's recommended you purchase a simple vinyl or plastic cover for your unit that will keep unwanted materials off of it so it's ready to go when you finally need it again.

Inspect the unit regularly

We already suggested you install insulation and inspect it regularly. But while you're doing that you should also inspect other aspects of the unit to make sure nothing has fallen on it, that the cover we mentioned above is secure and to remove any standing water, ice or other materials. These inspections only take a couple of minutes and could make the difference between an air conditioner that fires up properly when you need it again, and one that sputters to life in need of professional attention.

Professional Air Duct Cleaning in Arvada by Steve’s

Winter is hard on everyone and everything, most notably your air conditioner. Take the above tips to heart and you will help ensure that your AC survives the winter intact.

Don't forget: duct cleaning and vent cleaning will go a long way toward ensuring the comfort and safety of your loved ones during the winter. We can help you with both. So call Steve's today at (720) 419-7792. Or drop us a line at: stevesairductcleaning11@gmail.com.