Give Your Room Air Conditioner a Spring Cleaning

Portable room air conditioners are typically installed in a window to cool one room. Cleaning your portable air conditioner's filter and coils will help it perform better and use less electricity.

Your air conditioner uses a filter to protect its cooling coils from dust and debris. Both the filter and coils are found behind a removable louvered cover on the room side of the unit. Remove this cover and the foam filter and wash both in the kitchen sink with soap and water.

When you remove the cover, you'll also see the indoor coil and its aluminum fins. Clean this with an old hairbrush to remove surface dirt and lint. Brush in the same direction as the fins, being careful not to bend them. Dirt trapped deeper in the coil can be removed by spraying a strong household cleanser into the coil, waiting a few minutes, and rinsing with water. The excess water will run out the drain to the outdoors.

The condenser coil is accessible from the outdoor side of your room air conditioner. It's similar to the indoor coil but more difficult to clean. Inspect the coil from outdoors through the louvered openings in its housing. If dirt is noticeable inside the unit, it's time to clean it. You'll have to remove the air conditioner from the window and perform this job outdoors.

Once you have the unit out, remove the exterior housing by removing its screws. Use your brush and water again and reach to the inside of the coil where the most dirt is usually found. Taping your brush to a small stick or dowel may help. Let your unit dry in the sun before replacing the housing and re-installing it. Your air conditioner's efficiency will benefit from this simple cleaning.

--John Krigger is a nationally recognized author of numerous energy efficiency books, including Surviving The Seasons: A Practical Guide To Home Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings; and Comfort for Existing Buildings. For more info on his publications, please visit his web site www.residential-energy.com.