Portland Appliance Repair

Portable air conditioners can be a handy appliance to have in the home, especially for those of us living in the Pacific Northwest where we may only see a handful of what we would consider hot days each summer. These handy devices can sit in storage or simply hanging around on the window ledge during the rest of the year, but when the sun finally does shine upon us and the temperature gets up there in the 90’s, then it’s time to put them to use.

But wait. Before pulling the air conditioner out or turning it on for the first time, it is important to take a few minutes to get the unit ready for the cooling season. Some of these steps may apply to your particular model and some may not. Consult the use and care manual for help.

• Clean the filter. Every air conditioner will have a filter that is designed to catch dust and whatnot as it circulates the air in the home. As this filter becomes clogged the unit will need to work harder to move air and may even shut off if it becomes to clog so remove it and vacuum off last years dust.
• Make sure the drain holes are clear. The byproduct of the air conditioning process is water as it is removed from the hot outside air. This water will drain from a hole that may have become blocked since used last. Locate the hole and make sure it is clear for water to flow.
• Check for a good air seal around the cabinet. Air conditioners that are mounted part-time in open windows need to have good air separation between the warm outside air and the cooler inside air. If some of the foam seal has seen better days, it may be time to head to the hardware store and pickup a new roll.
• Clean the condenser coils. Just like on your refrigerator, the condenser is where the heat removed from the inside is released to the outside. These coils can become blocked with dirt, bugs, cobwebs, leaves or anything else that happens to fly around the yard. Give the coils a good cleaning using a vacuum and a coil brush. Yes I know the pressure washer does a great job, but it’s not a recipe for long air conditioner life.
• Make sure it can breathe. While cleaning the condenser, make sure the bush growing outside the widow hasn’t had a growth spurt and is not surrounding the outside portion of the unit. Air conditioners need to breathe and move a lot of hot air, usually outside where it is already hot. Having to deal with branches and leaves isn’t going to help the situation.
• And if you have a remote control, remember to change the batteries.

Well I hope this helps with keeping things cool and working all summer long. Be sure and consult the units use and care manual for model specific suggestions to avoid a sudden failure which will usually result in difficulty sleeping.

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