HVAC · moderate safety risk
Inspect the outdoor AC unit
Keep the outdoor unit visibly clear and spot damage before peak cooling demand.
- How often
- Monthly during cooling season
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Editorial status
- Awaiting human review
Before you begin
Tools
- Flashlight
How to do it
- Turn cooling off at the thermostat and wait for the outdoor fan to stop.
- From the ground, look for leaves, vegetation, stored items, or other visible airflow obstructions.
- Look for cabinet damage, heavy coil buildup, ice, unusual stains, or damaged insulated lines without touching them.
- Restore normal thermostat settings and schedule professional cleaning or repair when needed.
Stop and get help when
- Ice on lines or cabinet
- Damaged wiring
- Oil-like staining
- Fan damage
- Unit shifts on its base
Have an HVAC professional clean coils, open panels, repair wiring, address refrigerant concerns, or correct a displaced unit.
Sources and review
Written by Upkeeping editorial team. This draft is awaiting human subject-matter and safety review and is not eligible for search indexing.