{"id":1552,"date":"2024-08-05T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2024-08-01T19:43:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T23:43:14","slug":"clean-up-your-act-keep-your-ac-outdoor-unit-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/clean-up-your-act-keep-your-ac-outdoor-unit-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean Up Your Act! Keep Your AC Outdoor Unit Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clean-Up-Your-Act-Keep-Your-AC-Outdoor-Unit-Happy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clean-Up-Your-Act-Keep-Your-AC-Outdoor-Unit-Happy-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"AC-outdoor-unit\" class=\"wp-image-1553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clean-Up-Your-Act-Keep-Your-AC-Outdoor-Unit-Happy-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clean-Up-Your-Act-Keep-Your-AC-Outdoor-Unit-Happy.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Whether you have a <a href=\"\/air-conditioning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">central AC unit<\/a>, a heat pump, or a ductless mini split, it has an outdoor unit. This is the compressor, where the condenser lives, pressurizing the refrigerant so it will flow through the whole system of coils. And the condenser is more than just the most essential component of the system. It\u2019s also the most expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your compressor fails, it can\u2019t be repaired. It may be possible to replace the compressor, but chances are, it wouldn\u2019t be a good investment. It\u2019s so costly that putting a new compressor into an aging air conditioner, which would soon need replacing anyway, would be a waste of money. You need to keep your AC outdoor unit happy, so it can live a long, hard-working life. We\u2019ll tell you how. If you need to schedule maintenance or repair, or if you have any questions about your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/service-areas\/livingston-nj-plumbing-hvac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AC outdoor unit in Livingston, NJ<\/a>, don\u2019t hesitate to reach out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2>Promote Good Air Circulation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important thing for your compressor is that it must be able to dissipate heat. If the condenser coils in the outdoor unit can\u2019t get rid of enough heat, the air conditioner will have to run more and more of the time. This puts a great deal of unnecessary strain on the compressor. This means plenty of air must circulate through and around the outdoor unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Clear the Area:<\/strong> Trim back any plants, trees, or shrubs that grow close to the outdoor unit. Rake up lawn clippings or autumn leaves so they won\u2019t pile up around the outdoor unit. This will give space for air to move freely.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Clean the Unit: <\/strong>Another thing that can prevent heat from dissipating is a layer of dust or dirt forming on the coils. It will act like insulation, trapping the heat inside the coils. To keep the coils clean, you need to give them an occasional hose-down. Just make sure you don\u2019t use a high-pressure nozzle. Gentle water will clean the unit without causing any damage.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Reduce Your Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The more the compressor has to run, the more wear and tear it will accumulate. Cut down on this by cutting down on the amount of time you need to use your air conditioner. Several small things can work together to make a big impact here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use ceiling fans, turning counter-clockwise, to keep air moving. You\u2019ll feel just as cool with the thermostat set a few degrees higher. Block sunlight from directly hitting windows. Seal up drafts around doors and windows to keep the cool air in. And control your humidity: again, you\u2019ll feel just as cool with the thermostat set higher if the air is dry instead of humid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Prioritize Maintenance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By cleaning all the inner workings of the air conditioner and lubricating all the moving components to reduce friction, maintenance reduces the strain the compressor experiences. Your air conditioner needs maintenance every single year to stay in tip-top shape. This can drastically increase the lifespan of the air conditioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Get Repairs Promptly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do think that something is wrong with your air conditioner\u2014if you notice a funny noise, strange smell, poor performance, uneven cooling, or a spike in your electric bill\u2014have a technician check it out right away. An AC unit that\u2019s struggling with a problem will often have to run more of the time, which means more strain on the compressor.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"\/contact\/send-message\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Contact MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. today<\/strong><\/a><strong> with AC concerns or any questions about your HVAC system!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You need to keep your AC outdoor unit happy, so it can live a long, hard-working life. We\u2019ll tell you how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[70],"tags":[236,89],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1552"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1555,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions\/1555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.margoplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}