How to Clean a Window Air Conditioner Effectively
Air conditioners do come in different sizes and types but they all are composed of same components. For their efficient functioning, it is important to maintain them properly. By cleaning it regularly, you not only increase its efficiency but also prolong the life of the unit and its parts. In order to clean window air conditioner, you do not require any technical knowledge, just common sense would be sufficient.
Always unplug your conditioner and make sure you wear your safety glasses and gloves before starting with it. The most crucial part of an air conditioner is its condenser coil that needs to be treated gently. In window units, as evaporator coil is placed much closer to the condenser coil, you need to take care while cleaning. Since the former one is placed outside, it maybe difficult to clean them as most of the dirt will be accumulated on it. So, in order to clean window air conditioner thoroughly, you should remove its front and back panel and keep it in a dry flat surface.
You can easily brush on both the coils using a soft coil brush. If you want to use a vacuum cleaner, always use a soft brush since these parts are highly delicate. After removing the dirt, you can also clean them with water using a spray or hose. Make sure you do not wet the motor or any other electronic wire in the unit. The pressure used should be very light and so should be the water force since you do not want to bend or damage the fins. If you find any of the fins damaged, you can easily replace them or fix them using a fin comb. You can use different coil cleaner concentrates available in the market to clean them from inside. They are available at your air conditioner dealer.
The coils will get dried in about 5-10 minutes. You can rinse them again using gentle water force. This will ensure that the dirt has been removed completely from the coils.
In continuation with your session to clean window air conditioner, you can even apply coil coating treatment that would be helpful in keeping the dirt away from these coils for a long period of time. Next step would be to check your filter. You can clean it with water, but again be careful with electrical parts attached near it.
You can now fix the covers back to their panels. These are the basic steps to have a clean window air conditioner that would be helpful in increasing the efficiency to a great extent.