The Best Monthly Maintenance Tips During the Summer for Florida Residents in Sarasota

Hot or cold. Your choice.

Whether you’re out kayaking on the Myakka River or visiting the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, you’ll likely be experiencing the subtropical climate of Sarasota, Florida. What does this mean? Hot and sticky weather. After a muggy day in nature, it’s nice to relax in a cooler environment. An air conditioner is arguably the best way to keep yourself and your home cool in hot and humid climates. They aren’t infallible though—an air conditioner needs the same care and attention as any other hard-working appliance.

Below are some do-it-yourself maintenance tips to improve the workings of your air conditioner:

But hold on a second. Before you do any maintenance or cleaning on your AC, be sure to turn it off to avoid injury.

Give it a trim

If your outdoor air conditioner is surrounded by shrubs, branches, tall grass, or any other types of obstruction, clear them out. You don’t want anything disrupting the flow of air into the outdoor portion of your air conditioner, as it will hinder the efficiency of the whole system. You’ll want to give your air conditioner around two or three feet of space around it to breathe.

Clean it out

The outside unit of your air conditioner is exposed to the elements year-round, which means it’s going to take some abuse. Take it upon yourself to vacuum the dust out from the all of the metal fins and other crevices on the outside of the unit first. After this, remove to top grate and use a garden hose to spray from the inside out.  

Straighten up

Do you notice the thin metal slices that line the outside of your air conditioner? These are called fins. They are delicate and prone to bending. Well, this is yet another way that air can be blocked. To fix this, straighten up the fins with a tool called a fin comb. This inexpensive tool is specifically designed to quickly turn those mangled fins back to the vertical lines they once were.

Check the fans

The fan blade at the top of your condenser unit (outside portion of the air conditioner) is subject to the elements as well, and may get covered in dust, rust, or even worse, it may become damaged. If there is any severe damage to the condenser fan, consider replacing it for improved airflow.

Look at the filters

The constant flow of outside air through your ducts brings dust, dirt, allergens and other debris. Checking on your air filters is one of the easiest ways to maintain your air conditioner. A buildup of grime on the filter will impede airflow throughout the entire system.

No neglect, no regret

Ignoring maintenance doesn’t make problems go away. It’s always better to know the condition that your appliances are in you don’t want to need an AC replacement in the middle of the summer. You’ll see yourself in a wholesale air conditioner outlet or big box hardware store sooner than later if you put off maintenance on your air conditioner. Be sure not to neglect your air conditioner this season. Give it the spring cleaning that it needs before the summer heat rolls in.