Tips To Prepare Your Outdoor AC Unit For The Incoming Winter
How do you prepare your outdoor AC unit for the winter? Also known as an HVAC unit, this is really helpful during the summer season because it helps cool your house. However, you do not really need it during the winter time. That means you have to make sure that it is prepared for the cold winter season. If you do not prepare it, the cold, ice, and snow might give you rust problems.
Fortunately, there are a couple of things that you can do to make sure your HVAC unit is protected and maintained.
Tips to prepare your AC unit for the winter season
Start by looking for the circuit of your AC unit. This has a metal or plastic lid that covers the main electrical circuit. Open this lid and turn the unit off the switch. This will keep the unit from turning on automatically in case the temperature rises. It will also keep the water out. When this water gets inside, it will freeze and cause potential problems for the unit.
Once turned off, you should clean your HVAC unit. Get rid of any debris or dirt on the outside. You can use a hose to remove it. Once it is clean, dry the unit. Do not let it dry on its own. That will cause problems when the temperature drops below zero.
The next step is to get a foam pipe and cover the exterior pipes – or all the pipes exposed. This will help insulate the AC unit and keep it from freezing when it starts getting too cold. Once covered by the foam pipe, wrap the whole thing with duct tape to reinforce the insulation. You do not have to worry about making it too secure. You can leave this the whole year.
When the pipes are covered, you need to concentrate on the HVAC unit next. Get a vinyl or plastic cover. Both are waterproof and will be the perfect cover for your outdoor unit. Place this on top of the unit and make sure everything is covered. There are manufacturers that produce these covers specifically for outdoor units. But if you have a plastic cover that is big enough, it should suffice for what you need. Wrap the cover with rope or even a bungee cord for a snug fit. This will keep the cover from falling off or flying away when the wind blows too hard.
How to maintain your AC unit during the winter
After you have prepared your AC unit for the winter season, you do not forget about it. In fact, you need to keep tabs on it to make sure that it will not be compromised in any way.
Ideally, you want to check your outdoor unit as often as possible – but once a week should suffice. In case a storm or strong winds just passed, you obviously have to look at your unit outside. Check if the cover has fallen off or if the foam pipe covers have moved and exposed a part of the pipes. You need to fix this and make sure that your HVAC unit is still protected from the harsh and cold temperature during the winter season.
If you see any twigs or leaves falling on the unit, remove them. In case you find water on it, you have to remove it as well. Try to keep the unit as dry as you possibly can. This will keep the unit from rusting.
With all these tips, you should be able to keep your outdoor AC unit from deteriorating as the cold winter season passes by.
