Before You Turn Your AC Off This Fall, Check These 6 Things (Or You'll Regret It Next Spring)

🔗 Save Thousands on Repairs, Replacements and Power Bills — My Complete Home-Saving Method: https://nakamurasecrets.com The most expensive part in your air conditioner can take damage over the winter from something you did in October to protect it. Before you shut your central AC down for the season, here are the 6 things to check, in the order you'd do them. #6 protects the compressor, a repair Angi puts at $800 to $2,300 and HomeGuide at $1,800 to $2,800 or more. I'm Richard Nakamura. I fixed appliances for thirty years. The advice here comes from the manufacturers' own manuals and advice pages (Lennox, Trane, Allied Air), from compressor maker Copeland, and from ENERGY STAR and the Department of Energy. The 6 checks: 1. Air conditioner or heat pump? A heat pump is your heat: no solid cover, clear the snow off, and the steam on cold mornings is a normal defrost cycle 2. Take the thermostat off cool (and watch out for auto mode and old cooling schedules) 3. Clean the leaves out of the outdoor unit, straighten bent fins with a fin comb, and keep 2 to 3 feet clear around it 4. Don't wrap it: why full covers and tarps trap moisture and invite mice, and why plywood on top is enough 5. Inside: the condensate drain and pan, the filter, and snow on a high-efficiency furnace's pipes 6. Leave the power on: the crankcase heater, slugging, and what to do if you already cut the power Also: what to check the first day you turn it back on in spring. 🔗 Save Thousands on Repairs, Replacements and Power Bills — My Complete Home-Saving Method: https://nakamurasecrets.com SOURCES • Lennox, should I cover my AC unit in the winter — https://www.lennox.com/residential/lennox-life/consumer/should-i-cover-my-ac-unit-in-the-winter • Trane, winter weather preparation for your home and HVAC — https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/blog/extreme-winter-weather-preparation-for-your-home-and-hvac/ • Trane, the heat pump defrost cycle — https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/blog/what-is-heat-pump-defrost-cycle/ • Trane, landscaping around outdoor HVAC units — https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/blog/landscaping-around-outdoor-hvac-units/ • Allied Air, 4AC13/4AC14/4AC16 installation manual — https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/content/AlliedAirEnterprises/1%20-%20Document%20Updates/VALUE_AIRCONDITIONERS_4AC13-4AC14-4AC16L_INSTALLATIONMANUAL.pdf • Copeland, crankcase heater before start-up — https://copeland.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3019 • U.S. Department of Energy, Home Cooling 101 — https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/06/f16/HomeCooling101.pdf • ENERGY STAR, heating and cooling maintenance checklist — https://www.energystar.gov/saveathome/heating-cooling/maintenance-checklist • Angi, AC compressor replacement cost — https://www.angi.com/articles/ac-compressor-cost.htm • HomeGuide, AC compressor cost — https://homeguide.com/costs/ac-compressor-cost #hvac #airconditioner #homemaintenance #homeownertips #heatpump #diyrepair