AC Inpection

I inspected  my AC units the other day to check the insulation on the refrigerant lines and cooling fins for damage. The insulation was very damaged and worn out from the weather. Aside from tears and rips, the insulation had become compact and hard (very bad for insulation). 

I spent about $5 at Lowe's buying new insulation duct tape to replace the old insulation. It only took 15 minutes to remove the replace the old insulation. Shown below is the halfway point where one unit was completed and the second one still needed to be replaced. 

Also needing attention was the cooling fins. When rocks (usually from lawn mowers) or other objects hit these delicate fins they become bent and less effective. Simply examine the fins for damaged spots and separate the fins using a blade. Take special care not to further damage these areas. A special AC fins repair tool is also available but be sure to get the correct size for your model. Also, don't forget to inspect both outside and inside fins on the unit. You will have to unplug the power to the unit and take off the fan and guard to inspect the inside fins.

These simple and cheap repairs shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes per unit and will definitely improve your energy efficiency. Check the units a couple times each year (beginning and middle of warm months).

Note: High efficiency AC units often use brushed cooling fins. Although the concepts are the same they can be more time consuming to repair.