I install insulation around the pipes to safeguard against freezing.
I live in the upper part of the country, where the winter weather hangs around for more than half the year. All of us experience rapidly changing temperatures down to lower degrees. The conditions are frequently below freezing, plus both of us set records for the amount of snowfall in a single season. All of us run the a/c a few times a week and then it sits idle. Until recently, it never occurred to me that I should winterize the cooling equipment. The outdoor component can get disfigured by snow plus ice. Winterizing the central a/c protects against rust plus stops pests from getting inside plus destroying mechanical parts. The process is fast plus straight-forward. I don’t need to call a Heating, Ventilation, and A/C supplier to handle it. A few straight-forward steps keep my AC plan clean plus in peak working order. I’ve found that the best time to winterize the outdoor component is during the fall. Right before I need to close the windows plus start up the furnace, I find a sunny day plus devote a few minutes to the work. I put on a pair of gloves plus detach any leaves, branches or lawn clippings that have fallen onto the unit. I use a hose to wash the a/c. The spray effectively removes insects, poop, dirt plus dust. I then allow the plan to dry completely. I locate the electrical circuit, detach the lid plus flip the switch to cut off the power supply. This stops the cooling component from starting up on a sizzling Wintertide day. It keeps water out of the component that might harden and result in major damage. I install insulation around the pipes to safeguard against freezing. I finish by fitting a waterproof a/c cover over the outdoor component. Bungee cords, vinyl tie-downs plus a few bricks work to secure the cover in place in case of high winds. Throughout the winter, I periodically take the time to get rid of snow, ice plus debris from the top of the Heating, Ventilation, plus A/C unit.