5 Tips to Get Your Air Conditioner Ready For Spring

Before spring kicks into high gear and the weather gets warmer, you’ll want to check that your air conditioner is ready to keep you cool. While you might be tempted to switch your AC on and hope it works, it’s best to perform a few checks and AC tune-ups before you do. Ensure your AC is ready for spring by following our top five tips.

1. Check Your Outdoor Unit and Remove Any Debris

During the winter, lots of debris, such as broken branches and dead leaves, can build up around (and potentially inside!) your outdoor AC unit. If you don’t remove the debris and clear out any potential obstruction in or around your unit, your AC could struggle to cool your home efficiently. Besides looking for debris, it’s also important to check that no small animals have started living in your unit or created nests.

Before kicking your AC on, go outside and check your outdoor unit, removing any debris inside the unit or close to it. Next, look for small animals and nests. If you see any animals inside your unit, you’ll want to call animal control to remove the animals for you or give advice to you about what to do. Additionally, if you placed any covers over your HVAC unit over the winter, you should take them off and store them away until you shut down your AC unit again.

2. Clean Your Air Ducts

Another simple way to prepare your AC for spring is to clean your air ducts. Since your air ducts need to be clear to deliver air into your home, you’ll want to check that nothing is inside them or over their vents that could obstruct airflow. Besides clearing out any obstructions, you should clean your air ducts to ensure no fungi, mold, mildew, or other potentially toxic substances inside them will get in your home’s air.

To begin cleaning your air ducts, take the vent covers off the ducts and wash them off. If you notice any obstructions inside your ducts, remove them. Next, tap your ductwork’s sides to loosen any debris or dust from the sides of the ductwork. After the dirt is loose, use a vacuum hose attachment to suck up dust and other smaller debris inside your ducts. To finish, simply use a damp paper towel to wipe off the ductwork’s walls, placing the vent covers back on when you’re done. 

3. Look for Cracks and Leaks

A leaking or cracked HVAC system won’t be able to perform at its best. Since these signs of damage can reduce your AC’s efficiency, cause corrosion inside your unit, and even lead to full breakdowns, you’ll want to check for them. If you spot any leaks or cracks, contact an HVAC professional to make any repairs.

4. Replace Your Air Filter

Your AC’s air filter plays an essential role in your HVAC system, as it prevents dust, debris, and other contaminants or obstructions from entering your HVAC system. However, when you don’t replace your air filter at its recommended intervals, it can clog and obstruct airflow into your AC, resulting in poor performance and inefficient cooling. 

Since you might not have replaced your AC’s air filter over the winter, it’s a good idea to start the spring with a new filter. Fortunately, replacing an air filter is simple. All you have to do is check the size of your current filter, purchase a new filter in that size, and swap them out. After you replace your old filter, remember to continue to swap out your filters every one to three months.

5. Schedule a Professional AC Inspection

Though you can do a lot on your own to prepare your AC for spring, nothing beats a professional inspection. When an HVAC professional inspects your home, they’ll be more likely to find potential issues than an untrained homeowner. Whether your AC just needs a tune-up or requires more extensive repairs, an HVAC professional can handle all your AC’s needs to make sure it’s ready for spring.

Turn to Bonney for AC Maintenance Services and Repairs in Sacramento

If you live in Sacramento, Concord, or the surrounding areas and want to prepare your home’s AC for warmer weather, turn to Bonney for professional HVAC inspection and maintenance services. Our team of certified HVAC technicians can inspect your home’s system to look for any issues that could impact your AC’s performance. Once our team finds an issue, they can make the needed repairs, ensuring your AC operates at peak performance this spring.

Learn more about our AC tune-up and repair services today. If you’re ready to schedule an appointment, please contact us.