There are several things you can do to help your air conditioning unit function efficiently in this heat, but here are seven ways to make sure it's as cold as it should be.
1) Don't let mulch touch or be close to your unit.
2) When mowing, don't allow the excess grass and dirt to be thrown onto the unit.
3) Keep all landscaping 2 feet away from the unit.
4) Don't allow surrounding grass or weeds to get too high around the unit or obstruct air flow.
5) Keep the screws on the top of the unit bolted down. If they get loose, it could allow your fan to get off kilter.
6) Clean the coils with a coil spray, then hose it down if the coils are on the exterior.
7) Use a fan comb or kitchen knife to slightly reinforce coils that have been damaged by hail or are clogged.
On Tuesday, NewsChannel 5 met up with Oodie Graves of Proctor and Grave. A church that recently lost air conditioning in the sanctuary was being worked on.
Graves said, " The airs got to get through these fins and if you smash them, it's just like a car wreck, you can't get air to it. And that makes the pressure go up."
Graves said there are different types of fin combs you can buy at most home improvement stores.
"Basically somebody's rubbed against this and it's flatted it, so combing the find out will let air get back in here and make it efficient."
Normally, they recommend allowing a specialist to clean the coils, but you can always hose down the outside to get dirt and grime off the AC unit.
Graves said, "On the condensers here you need to spray a condenser cleaner. That foams out and pulls the dirt out. And then take a regular hose pipe and wash her down real easily."
It's important that you stay away from the electrical wiring and call a specialist if you have any concerns.
