Autumn has officially arrived, and before you know it, we’ll be drinking pumpkin-flavored coffee, decorating for our favorite spooky holiday, and deciding who’s going to host Thanksgiving this year! But, before we can even think about all that, we must first figure out what we are going to do with our air conditioners.
Now that it’s getting cooler out, odds are, you aren’t going to need your air conditioner very much anymore. So, what do you do with it? Well, keep reading below and we’ll tell you! So, what are you waiting for?
Follow These Simple Steps
If you wish to protect your air conditioner over the winter, follow these steps:
- Make sure there are no lingering repair problems with the air conditioner. You do not want the air conditioner to go into its winter hibernation with a malfunction that hasn’t been repaired. So if you noticed anything wrong with your air conditioner’s performance during the last month it was running, call for AC repairs before you do anything else. This precaution means much less to worry about in spring.
- Shut the air conditioning system off completely. It isn’t enough to change the thermostat to heating. The problem is that a brief period of warmth, or a thermostat sensing incorrect temperatures indoors, may cause the outdoor unit of the air conditioner to come on when it shouldn’t. This may draw water moisture or snow into the outdoor unit, which promotes corrosion. To turn the air conditioner off so it won’t come back on accidentally, locate the power switch outside. It’s near the outdoor cabinet under a plastic cover. Lift up the cover, turn the switch to “off,” and you’re all set.
- Clean off the outdoor cabinet of the air conditioner and see that the area around it is clear of debris. This isn’t need to be extensive: you can use a hose to wash down the cabinet (on gentle pressure; you don’t want to blast water into the grill and bend the coils) and brush off large amounts of dirt with a broom. Keeping the surrounding area free from leaves and branches will prevent them from getting blown inside the cabinet.
- Cover the outdoor condenser with a waterproof cover. You can purchase AC covers from a hardware store specifically for this purpose, but there’s nothing wrong with using a tarp to do the job—as long as it’s waterproof. Use bungee cords and luggage ties to secure the cover in place.
Ask a Professional For Help
If you are still not exactly sure what to do with your air conditioner over the winter, call in your favorite HVAC professionals who can show you the ropes. Trust us, any HVAC professional will be happy to help you with your air conditioning in McLean, VA! All you’ve got to do is pick up the phone and call to speak with one of our friendly representatives.
For all your heating and cooling needs, contact the team at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc.