This Homeowners Maintenance Series is especially for those homeowners around Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania who understand the need to protect their biggest investment and keep their home safe through regular maintenance.  As summertime temperatures soar, preparing your home for the seasonal changes is important, and well-maintained air conditioning is top priority.

Central Air Conditioning

• Disconnect electric power to the outdoor condenser on your air conditioner before beginning inspection and maintenance.
• Your air conditioning unit must pull in enough outside air to cool and circulate inside your home.  So,  it is important to ensure that the outdoor condensing unit is free from obstruction by outdoor furniture, leaves, newspapers, debris, etc.
• Poor efficiency, reduced air flow and even evaporator icing can occur if the filters are clogged.  So check the filter and clean or replace if/as necessary.  You should replace disposable fiberglass filters, but you can wash electronic or electrostatic filters.
• Secure all access panels on your air conditioning unit and be sure no fasteners/screws are missing or loose.

Window-Mounted Air Conditioning

• Safety first -- before doing any maintenance, unplug the unit from the wall, remove the front access cover and the outdoor cover. You might even wish to completely remove the air conditioning unit from its mounting frame.
• Vacuum out the condenser coils with a soft brush attachment.
• Examine the condenser coil.  If you notice any bent cooling fins, they may be straightened to avoidcompromised cooling capacity and air flow. To straighten the bent fins use a coil fin comb, matching  the comb's teeth count to the coil finsl and then carefully drawing the comb across the bent coil fins to straighten them.
• Examine the foam filter and replace it if damaged. If intact but dirty, wash the filter with soapy water, rinse and dry before replacing.
• When maintenance is complete, return the unit to its frame before reinstalling the outside and front  covers. Then, plug the unit back in the wall and run it for a few minutes to assure proper function.

Here at the William M. Sparks Insurance Agency in Timonium, MD, we welcome the chance to help homeowners like yourself as you strive to protect your home and family.   Don't forget to check with your insurance agent to assure that your home is still properly insured for its total value if you have upgraded the systems or made other home improvements in the recent past.