Semiyearly Maintenance on Goodman Air Conditioning Unit

Fig.1 AC Unit

By Gary Boutin

Supplies and Tools:
Box-size screwdriver
Water hose 

Air conditioning maintenance needs to be done every six months (semiyearly) usually by a service technician. You need to be comfortable with electric power, with removing a circuit breaker, or turning off a circuit breaker switch. If you are not, you can read this in-service but skip these steps and let a professional do the work. Then this is your chance to save about $80 on this maintenance procedure.

This post shows the fourteen steps to maintain an air conditioning system.

Step 1: The first and most critical step is finding the location of the circuit breaker. Once located, the power needs to be turned off, then the maintenance service starts. If you cannot find it or it is not located on the side of the unit, the next step is to find the electric panel. Some air conditioner power breakers are found in these boxes. Some electric panels can be inside your home or outside the garage. Above fig.1 shows the Goodman Air conditioner. 

Step 2: Fig.2 below shows the breaker box closed. On this model the circuit breaker is located on the wall behind the air conditioner.

Fig.2 Fuse Box

Step 3: Fig.3 shows the removable breaker on top of the box.

Fig.3 Pull fuse

Step 4: Fig.4 shows the breaker pulled out of the metal unit.

Fig.4 Fuse on top of box

Step 5: Fig.5 shows the use a box size screwdriver to remove the screws from the top of the unit.

Fig.5 Remove first screw

Step 6: Fig.6 shows the screws removed. Now look at the top and the sides of the air conditioner metal panels. There are several metal pan head screws that attach the top to the bottom of the unit.

Fig.6  Boxed driver 

Step 7: Fig.7 shows that after the screws are removed, the top must be lifted off the sides. Some manuals describe the fan screws should also be removed. In these instructions the top fan is left in place, in an effort to save time by not removing the fan from the top of the unit. 

Fig.7 Inside A/C unit

Step 8: Now is a good time to look inside the A/C unit, see the compressor, it's in the middle, now is a good time to remove any rodents. Leaves or other items the wind might have blown into this area need to be removed.
Step 9: Notice the coil fig.8 through fig.10 shows along the side of the air conditioner. The purpose of this maintenance is to rid this area of dirt and leaves that may be trapped in these coils.

Fig.8 Fins

Fig.9 Edge view

Fig.10 Corner view

Step 10: Fig.10 shows the top of the fan unit is still supported using two broom handles. This is one way to raise the cover out of the work area. These brooms will put pressure on the bottom and the poles will keep the fan unit out of the way.

Fig.11 Brooms holding fan top

Step 11:  Fig.12 and fig.13 shows the top is out of the way, a portable vacuum cleaner is used to remove dust and dirt within the unit. Notice the bugs and the dirt on the sides in of the unit. This is what needs to be removed, these bugs could block the air flow around the metal coils. This picture shows how the spiders and bugs made a nice new home here. This is soon to change.

Fig.12 Vacuuming

Fig.13 Side Vacuum

Step 12: Below in fig.14 and fig.15 shows a water hose with a strong jet spray is used to really force the bugs and dirt out of the fins and base. Be careful not to damage the metal coils.  

Fig.14 Wash inside

Fig.15 Wash compressor

Step 13: Now all that needs to be done is remove the brooms, re-install the sides to the top, re-attach the top of the fan to the sides of the air conditioner. Use the same nut driver to return the screws back into their holes. Fig 16 through fig.18 shows the fan top has been replaced in its normal position. Once done, re-insert the breaker switch and turn on the air conditioner to test that it in working order.
Step 14: After the test, the air conditioner unit in running and the reward is knowing the unit will run efficiently, less noisily and that the job was done right.

Fig.16 Side view

Fig.17 Fan view

Fig.18 Front view

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