Cleaning the cooling equipment

Cleaning the bacteria out of my air conditioner is always gross, but so rewarding

Cooling equipment can get really nasty when left unchecked. Once a year I have an HVAC contractor over to do an AC tune up. He oils, tightens and cleans the inner workings. Typically there is a worn part that gets replaced. Only relying on the HVAC specialist once a year is not good though. A cooling system should really be cleaned more often than that. I do a good cleaning of my air conditioner every month that I use it. This works out since the air filter should be changed out monthly. This is the first line of defense against dust getting in the system. After a month, though, the dust clogs the air filter and it is useless. I change out the air filter and stick my vacuum hose up inside the system. Tons of dust still gets inside. I also have long hair and battle my hair getting in the AC. The air conditioner is a moist system as well. Mold develops on the cooling coil. Mildew spots get on my fan blades. Algae will clog up the condensate drain, causing the cooling system to leak water when operating. So every month I open up the AC and get to cleaning. Cleaning the bacteria out of my air conditioner is always gross, but so rewarding. Once it is all put back together, the cooling system works like a dream. There are no operational noises, odd smells and my energy bills are lower. Next time I need to watch the AC contractor to see if there is more I can clean.

 

Air conditioning maintenance