When it comes to cleaning the air conditioner’s outdoor unit, there is always the worry of being electrocuted due to the electrical wires running through it. Some homeowners are even worried that they will damage the unit by cleaning it with water. Due to this, you will often hear many homeowners asking, is it ok to spray water on your air conditioner?
According to air conditioner repair services providers, it’s okay to spray water on the air conditioner. In fact, spraying water on the unit comes with plenty of benefits such as:
You increase the appliance’s efficiency.
The air conditioner works by taking the hot air in the house and moves it outside. When you spray water on the unit, you lower the outside air temperature; hence, the air conditioner doesn’t work too hard. This significantly increases the air conditioner’s efficiency, which saves you a lot of money as you have a small energy bill at the end of the month.
You keep the AC clean.
It goes without saying that when you spray water on the AC, you get rid of dirt, grime and other materials that might give the AC a dirty, unpleasant look. By spraying the AC with water, you leave it looking clean and spotless, which not only keeps the AC looking spectacular, it also increases its efficiency, which significantly cuts your cooling costs.
You increase the lifespan of the air conditioner.
Like your car, the lifespan of the AC depends on plenty of factors, including how you use and maintain it.
When you spray it with water, you improve the AC’s efficiency, which reduces how hard the AC works. An appliance that doesn’t work too hard has a long lifespan.
Cleaning the AC also removes dirt, grime, and other materials that might eat on the AC, reducing its lifespan.
How often should you spray water on the air conditioner?
Now that we have determined it’s okay to spray water on your cooling system, the big question is, how often should you do it? Well, this depends on where the outdoor unit is located. If it’s located in an area covered with bushes and plenty of trees, you may need to spray it twice or more in a year. On the other hand, if it’s located in a clean area away from leaves, dirt and other debris, you can get away by spraying it once a year.
When it comes to the best time to spray the conditioner, you should do it in the spring before approaching summer. This is because you need the AC in summer more than any other time of the year so having it clean right before you get to the season you need it the most, you get the most from it then.
When you are hosing down the AC, you should pay close attention to more areas than others. For example, you should pay close attention to the condenser as a thoroughly clean condenser means a more efficient unit.
You also should pay attention to the fins. Ensure the fins are clean and in top shape. Before you hose them, use a soft brush to remove any dirt on them, then modestly spray them with the hose from the inside.
You also should give special care to the evaporator coils. Carefully hose them down and remove as much dirt on them as possible.
Does spraying water make the AC cooler?
Yes, it does, and this is the primary reason the AC works more efficiently and saves you a lot of money in the long run.
As mentioned above, the AC works by collecting heat from inside the house and dumps it into the air outside. Since the air outdoors is hot, the compressor has to produce a refrigerant that will carry the heat that is much hotter than the air outdoor since the heat flows from hot to cold or from hotter to hot.
When you spray water into your air conditioner, the AC dumps heat from hotter into not so hot environment, and this significantly improves the AC’s efficiency and capacity.
How long should you let the air conditioner dry after cleaning it?
To avoid rusting, let the AC dry thoroughly before reassembling it. AC repair services Port Jefferson providers advise you to leave the AC outside for a few hours for all the water to evaporate, but if you are in a hurry to reassemble the unit, use a towel to dry up the excess water.