The Do's And Don'ts When Winterizing Your Air Conditioner

Winter is here once again, so every household has been preparing months before it starts. All those cosy winter jackets safely tucked at the back of your closets have been brought out, ready to be used. For a night of good sleep, the thickest of sheets and blankets have replaced the normal ones. Aside from those, protecting your home, especially its pipes, wires, air conditioning Sydney unit, leaks, and cracks should be a priority.

Damages happen because of the cold weather, but we can do small preventive winterizing to avoid this from happening. Here are a few do's and don'ts to help keep your home and family safe during the coldest days of the year.

Do cover your AC's outdoor unit.

Covering your AC's outdoor unit during the winter will help prevent water from directly resting on your coils and frozen which can cause damage to the coils. Your choice of cover can be a piece of plywood across the top of your outdoor unit or there are specific covers made for AC units. The simple act of covering it can also help keep out most debris, dirt, and leaves from getting inside your outdoor unit.

Do remove snow and ice during the winter.

Outdoor AC units are built to withstand severe weather conditions, even snowstorms. However, when snow piles onto the coil and other internal parts of your outdoor unit, all its other parts are at risk of rust and corrosion. Sometimes, the snow will partly melt and then re-freeze into a block of ice which will be quite hard to melt at times. You can defrost this by gradually shocking its temperature with hot water but not very hot or boiling. To be safe, just use mild water to defrost the block of ice.

Do change or clean your air filter.

During the winter, your unit is working harder to provide heat to your house. While it does, your air filter is accumulating more dust and dirt. If that builds up on your filter, the efficiency of your heating would be low over time. According to experts, as your unit's system is constantly used during winter, their filter must be replaced every month.

Do test your furnace.

Before the winter starts, you should've tested your furnace to ensure that it's working correctly. You should also make sure that it is inspected in case it needs an early repair. This would help prevent your furnace from a possible breakdown when you need it the most. Professionals also advised replacing your unit filters every 3-4 months otherwise, the dust buildup will restrict airflow.

Don't forget to check your thermostat.

Oftentimes, most families forget to do this thing during the winter - checking their thermostat. And it's important to make sure that your system is not in AC mode because it won't activate the heat. If you ever forget to set it on the right mode, you'll be shocked about the hike in your electricity costs.

Don't cover your outdoor AC units with plastic.

Covering your outdoor AC unit will help keep it clean from debris that can be stuck inside it. However, there are specific covers made for these outdoor AC units only. You can temporarily use plywood but never anything made of plastic. While it can keep the snow out of the unit's internal parts, the plastic traps the condensation inside. This makes your air conditioner develop rust or mould.

Don't turn off the heat if you are going outside.

If you leave your house for a while or go on a vacation during the winter, don't turn off the heat. Make sure to set your thermostat to at least 55 degrees so that your house can stay warm enough to keep your pipes from freezing and bursting. Once you've failed to do so, you might be coming home to a damaged house.

Don't forget to schedule maintenance.

The best way to ensure that your heating is ready for the winter is to schedule maintenance. You should have your heating and cooling system checked to make sure that everything is working efficiently. And if you have other concerns like how to lessen your heating bills amidst the cold winter nights, remember to ask your local air conditioning expert about it.