Maintain Your Air Conditioner - 13 steps

1. For some people, air conditioning may be a luxury, but for many, it is a necessity. It is important to keep our air conditioner always in a good condition considering its benefits for us, i.e. maintaining suitable humidity in all parts of a building, freeing the air from excessive humidity during certain seasons, supplying a constant and adequate supply of ventilation, efficiently removing from the air micro-organisms, dust, soot, and other foreign bodies, efficiently cooling room air during certain seasons, heating or helping heat the rooms in winter, and renewing and improving air quality

2. Unplug the air conditioner. Disconnect the power from the unit.

3. Remove the filterand bezel or cover of the unit if needed. Remove the filter to expose the cooling coils. Aditionally, some models require that the front cover or bezel be removed to allow full access to the coil. Usually the cover is secured By screws - some of which become visible only when the ter is removed.

4. Spray the front coil of the air conditioner with a cleaning agent designed for this use. Home Depot and many other home supply centers and hardware stores sell products expressly for this particular job

5. These cleaners will help remove odors from deposits of dirt, mold, mildew, cigar & cigarette smoke, etc. from the coils. Prevent foam from spraying electrical wires, controls or other parts. Foaming type cleaners will work best only when used as directed. Use care to see that only the coils are covered with the cleaner.

6. Clean the filter. Clean the ter with plain water or replace if missing. A clean ter is a must. It is far easier and cheaper to remove and clean the ter every 15 hours (more or less depending of dust / dirt levels in the space) than to clean the air conditioner with a foaming cleansing If the filter is suspected of contributing to odors, soak and wash with a small amount of scented dish soap or laundry detergent.

7. Repeat if necessary.

8. if the air conditioner has been neglected, it may require a second application to produce cold air and be free of odors. In low humidity conditions, it will take longer to rinse the coils. wait until the coils are free from foam before re-applying If the unit fails to make cool air, it has likely lost the refrigerant charge or the compressor has failed. If the unit makes cool air but fails to make condensate to wash the coils, it may be due to low of humidity.

9. Shut the unit off and disconnect power.

10. Inspect the outdoor coils.

11. Clean the outdoor coils if desired. The outside coils are exposed to rainwater and may not need cleaning. If unsure, or in a dusty or dirty area, it may help to clean them. Apply foaming cleaner with the untill off. Allow 10-15 minutes for the foaming cleanser to work.

12. Inspect the outdoor coils. Since no condensate is formed on the outdoor coil when the unit is run, it will need to be rinsed manually. Do not force a direct a stream of water into the coils, but merely allow the foam to at away as the water is allowed to ow over the coils.

13. Reconnect power and test. Set to cooling and adjust thermostat to a low temperature. The discharge air should be cold and smell clean. If not, it is probably time for service or replacement

14. Know when it's time to get a new one. If not, it is probably time for service or replacement

15. Sources : http://www.wikihow.com/Maintain-an-Air-Conditioner amcoolinc.com