If you've been standing within your backyard on a sweltering mid-day wondering is it ok to spray water on your air conditioner , the short answer is a large fat yes—but you definitely need to understand the right way to do it. It might experience a little weird to take a garden hose pipe to some costly electrical equipment, specifically when we've all been taught considering that childhood that water and electricity are a disastrous match. Nevertheless, your outdoor AC unit is actually designed to handle the sun and rain, plus a little bath might be specifically what it wants to keep you fascinating without going broke.
Why your outdoor unit are designed for the water
Think about where your air conditioner lives. It sits outside through thunderstorms, snowfall, and heavy humidness. Manufacturers aren't stupid; they know that the outdoor condenser unit (that big metal box along with the fan) provides to be tough. All the delicate electrical components are often tucked away within a sealed compartment or shielded therefore that rain doesn't cause a brief circuit.
The main thing you're looking with when you look through the grates would be the condenser coils. These are those tiny metal fins that will look a little bit like a car radiator. Their whole job is to release the high temperature from the inside your house to the outside air. With time, these fins get clogged along with all sorts of junk—grass clippings, dandelion filler, dirt, and also index webs. When that will happens, your AIR CONDITIONING UNIT has to function twice as tough to dump that heat. Spraying it down isn't just okay; it's actually a pretty smart piece of maintenance.
The big exemption: Your indoor unit
Before a person go grabbing the hose and planning into the living room, let's get one particular thing very apparent. While the outdoor unit is constructed like a container for the rain, your indoor unit—the evaporator coil usually found in your heater or a wall-mounted mini-split—is a completely different story.
You should absolutely never spray water straight onto your interior unit. They are encircled by drywall, consumer electronics, and flooring that won't appreciate the soaking. Cleaning the particular indoor a part of your system involves a much more delicate process using specialized no-rinse foams or just vacuum pressure with a brush attachment. If you begin spraying water in there, you're heading to end up with a mold problem or even a fried circuit board faster than you can state "oops. "
How to perform it without smashing anything
So, you're ready to provide the outdoor unit a rinse. It's a simple task, but you don't would like to just go out there and boost it blindly. Initial things first: turn the particular AC off at the thermostat. You don't would like the fan to start spinning while you're right right now there with a hose. Intended for extra safety, a few people like to pull the "disconnect" or flip the breaker outside, though for a lighting rinse, just having the system not running is usually enough.
When you start bringing out, utilize a standard garden hose having a normal nozzle. You're looking for a constant, gentle stream. Begin at the very best and work your method down, aiming the particular water with the fins to wash the dirt out. You'll probably see a few pretty murky water flowing your bottom—that's the sound associated with your AC sighing in relief.
The objective here is to get the "gunk" out of between all those tiny aluminum fins. In case you see the lot of leaves or twigs stuck in there, a person can gently pick them out with your hands, yet be careful due to the fact those fins are usually surprisingly sharp and can cut your fingers if you aren't focusing.
Exactly why you must avoid the pressure washing machine
This is the part where people usually get into trouble. You may think, "If the garden hose is good, a pressure washer must end up being better! " Please, for the love associated with your wallet, do not really use a stress washer on your air conditioner.
Those aluminum fins are incredibly thin and fragile. The particular high-pressure stream from a power washer will certainly flatten them like paper. Once individuals fins are curved shut, air can't pass through all of them at all. This "crushes" the unit's capability to breathe, and you'll end upward having to spend hours having a "fin comb" trying to straighten them back again out one simply by one—or worse, changing the coil entirely. Stick to the regular hose; it has plenty associated with power to move dirt without causing a tragedy.
The benefits of the cleaner unit
You might become wondering if this is really worth the energy. Actually, it really is. A filthy condenser can fall the efficiency associated with your unit simply by a massive perimeter. When the coils are buried in dirt, the high temperature stays trapped in the refrigerant. This means the compressor has to run more and hotter to get your house down to the temperature you desire.
Simply by taking ten a few minutes to spray it down, you're basically lowering your electrical power bill. A clear unit runs shorter cycles, which furthermore means less wear and tear on the electric motor. It's probably the easiest DIY home maintenance task that actually puts cash back in your pocket. Plus, it helps your AIR CONDITIONING UNIT last years more because it isn't constantly straining towards a wall associated with dirt.
Whenever a rinse isn't enough
While it's totally ok to spray water on your air conditioner for a fast cleaning, sometimes the situation is a little more dire. If a person look at your coils plus they are covered in a thick, greasy film—maybe from nearby dryer vent tiny particles in the air or kitchen grease—water alone isn't going to cut it.
Within those cases, you might need a dedicated AC coils cleaner. These are generally alkaline sprays that will foam up plus eat through the fat. If you proceed this route, be sure you follow the instructions on the bottle to the notice. Some of those chemicals are pretty harsh plus need to end up being rinsed off completely so they don't consume away at the particular metal as time passes.
Also, if you see that will the fins are already crushed or in the event that there's ice developing on the unit, a hose isn't going to fix that. Ice usually means there is a refrigerant leak or a good airflow issue within the house, and no quantity of yard hosing will resolve a mechanical failing.
A couple of final tips for a successful wash
In the event that you've decided today is the day for an AC bath, try to do it when the particular sun isn't defeating directly down on the unit when possible. It just can make it easier to see what you're doing without the glare. Also, consider a quick look around the particular base of the unit. If you've got weeds or shrubbery growing right up towards it, grab a few shears and apparent a two-foot "buffer zone. " Your AC needs to breathe, and vegetation are just simply because bad as dirt for blocking air flow.
Once you're done spraying it down, let the unit sit for a few moments to drip dried out before you change the power back on. It doesn't possess to be bone fragments dry, but letting the excess water run off is the good practice.
In the end, keeping your air conditioner clean is one of those small chores that pays off in a big way. It's a simple "yes" to the question of water, so long as you keep the particular pressure low plus the water outdoors. Your AC works hard for a person all summer very long; minimal you can do is provide it a quick shower every now and then to help it maintain its cool.