How Do You Clean Air Conditioner Coils?
• Disconnect power to the air conditioner. Most central air conditioners have a shutoff box outside near the unit itself. You may have to pull out the shutoff box, flip a switch or remove a fuse. If there’s no shutoff box, find the circuit breaker panel that controls the air conditioner and turn off power there. • Trim away any plant growth around the air conditioner. Take care that any cuttings from grass, flowers, bushes or weeds don’t get inside the unit. Trim foliage to be at least 2 feet (60 centimeters) away from the unit. • Detach the outer case or access panels. Depending on the fasteners, you’ll need either a screwdriver or nut driver to do this. • Remove the top of the air conditioner. Depending on how the air conditioner is constructed, this may mean lifting the fan assembly off with it. If your air conditioner is constructed this way, be careful not to stretch and damage the fan wires. • Clean and lubricate the fan assembly. Clean dirt off the fan blades with either a rag o
