How to Make an Outdoor A/C Unit Winter Ready

An air conditioner is meant to last for many years whether you have a central A/C unit or window units. With proper cleaning and maintenance, you can extend the life of any machine. There are multiple parts of maintaining an AC unit. For a central A/C unit, there are two pieces of equipment to maintain. For window units, maintenance must be performed on each unit.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Clean the outside central A/C unit. Remove debris, tree branches, leaves, dirt, dust and other things from the unit. Use a wet-dry vac or another similar machine. Suck out or blow air into the unit to remove the debris.

2. Replace the inside central A/C unit's filter and vacuum out any dust or debris that found its way near the machine. This will help the outside unit work better. Choose the filter that came with the machine. If you do not know the size, take the filter with you to your local home improvement center or call your HVAC repairman.

3. Remove window A/C units and seal the opening. If they are housed in a window, close the window. If the window unit is inserted into the wall cover the A/C and the wall. Be careful not to bend or damage the coils.

4. Clean the window units. Vacuum out the dust and debris. Package them away in the box they came in. Place in a dry safe place.

5. Cover the window units that cannot be removed. Cover with an A/C condenser cover. Ask your HVAC professional where these can be purchased. Otherwise, use a breathable waterproof fabric.