Super Handyman: Maintain A/C unit to keep your cool this summer

It’s hard to keep your cool during a long, hot summer, especially when your air conditioner can barely keep up with the excessive heat. We are here with some super-cool tips to help your air conditioner do its thing.

First of all, when you have to work on these units, you should turn off the breakers, inside the house and out, in order to prevent electrical shocks. If you prefer to have someone else do the work, that’s OK. Just make sure they do these things and more.

Keep the area around the outdoor compressor free of weeds, grass and other things that can clog up the outside of the unit. It works by drawing air through the outside fins and blowing it out through the top or side. If it is blocked by debris or materials of any kind, it will not work properly. You can clean off the fins with the spray from your garden hose if you need to.

The components of the air conditioner that are located inside the house also must be kept clean. Clean the coils with warm, soapy water a couple of times a season. You can scrub them with a bottle scrubber to get off more dirt and dust.

Make sure the drain lines that carry the condensation from the coils also are free-flowing. Clear clogged drains with bleach and/or compressed air. Pour a cupful of bleach into the drain lines and pan a couple of times a season to keep them from clogging.

The blower fan, located next to the coils, also is an area that can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and scrub brush. Replace worn belts and oil the motor if needed.

Make sure to replace the filters once a month during the summer season. A clogged filter will prevent efficient air flow to the house.

Check ductwork to make sure it is sealed, especially where it connects to vents and at joints. Use mastic to seal the vents and insulation to keep the air inside cooled.

If you haven’t yet discovered the programmable thermostats, you must see them. It’s an easy install for the average DIYer. They will allow you to preprogram the air conditioner to run when you want it to and not when you are at work or out of town. It’s a great way to save money on cooling costs.

Don’t sweat another summer. Try these tips to save and keep your cool all summer long!

Start that deck Preformed concrete pier blocks make installing a new deck a whole lot easier. But if you need a lot of them for a large deck, it can get pretty expensive. Why not just make your own? Use a large plastic pot as your form for the concrete. Cut some scrap four-by-four into 1frac12;-inch slices and place one in the bottom of a greased plastic pot. Then pour your mixed concrete into the pot and let it set up. After a day or two, turn the bucket over and dump out the concrete. The grease or oil will prevent the concrete from sticking to the pot. Then pry out the block of wood. Make a bunch of these if your deck is large. You#146;ll save a bundle by making them all yourself, and they#146;ll work just as well as the store-bought type.Water trapFleas are not much fun for dogs, and they#146;re even less fun for their people. They suck #8212; literally! One clever way to trap fleas is to set out a shallow tray of water and place a small light, night light, desk lamp or similar lamp over the pan to draw the fleas to the water trap. It works pretty well. Just keep Rover and the cat away from the water! Swimming lessons are free for the fleas, but they probably won#146;t pass the test.Super hintsŸ A small blob of silicone caulk or putty placed on the hanging wire on your picture frames will make them sit more securely on the hangers and not be so apt to slide off-center.Ÿ If your new garden tools have a habit of disappearing, try disguising them as old, worn-out tools. Place tape and patches on them even when they aren#146;t needed. #147;Age#148; them with rust-colored paint. Most thieves won#146;t risk taking old, worn-out tools. They know quality when they see it. This ploy will keep your neighbors from borrowing your tools, as well. Ÿ When you need to install screws or bolts in metal, use a magnet to attract the metal shavings you create while screwing or drilling into the metal. Never blow the sharp shavings away, or they could end up in your eyes!Q. We spent a lot of money having our basement checked and rechecked for leaks. Each time, no leak was discovered. Finally the right repairman showed up and discovered that the #147;leak#148; was really water condensing on the water lines that run in the ceiling, and they were dripping on the floor. What can we do to fix this?A. Install foam pipe insulation around these pipes. It will keep the pipes from being exposed to the warm basement air and will prevent condensation from occurring on the pipes. Adding more ventilation also might help.Q. I have been painting the trim around my windows and doors. I have run into a problem with the old putty. I need to remove some of it to replace it, but it#146;s very tough and hard, and I#146;m afraid I#146;ll chip the wood or break the glass trying to get the old putty off. What can I use to loosen it?A. Use a paintbrush to paint on a thin layer of boiled linseed oil. This will work into the putty to soften it. Be careful when removing it, and use a plastic putty knife. The wood also might have been softened. Q. I have rust stains on my fence. I think it is coming from the water around my plants, but I don#146;t know how to make it stop. What can I do to prevent it?A. If you use iron on your plants, that might be the cause. A sprinkler shouldn#146;t cause this problem unless you have rust in your lines, and that is unlikely. Use oxalic acid (fence cleaner) to clean the surface. Then apply a water seal to prevent future damage. Reapply every year.Reader tipsŸ Our front door has a peephole, but it#146;s still hard to see anyone who is standing to the side of the doorway. We installed a curved mirror on the fence post behind the front steps so that now we can see anyone anywhere on the front porch. It#146;s much safer this way.Ÿ I found a great way to remove rust from rusty bolts #8212; household peroxide. I tried it out of desperation last week, and it actually was pretty effective on the rust. I was out of naval jelly, so I gave it a try. It worked fairly well, and I was able to make the repair that I was working on when I ran into the rust. I#146;m going to keep some in my shop from now on. It#146;s a heck of a lot cheaper than the rust dissolvers, too.Ÿ We painted the kitchen and breakfast room a few months ago. There were a few paint drips on the floor, and we hadn#146;t been able to get them off. They weren#146;t really noticeable, but my wife did want them removed. She discovered that the same polish she used to clean and shine the laminate flooring also loosened the paint to remove it. Who knew? Not me, but I#146;m glad there was an easy solution.Ÿ We use plastic pots instead of clay pots for all of our patio plantings. They are lightweight and seem to hold the water better. We also have stopped using the clay shards to block the drainage holes in the pots, mostly because we don#146;t have many clay pots left to use. Now we use paper coffee filters over the drainage holes. It works better than the clay, and keeps the soil inside the pot but still lets the excess water drain out.Ÿ We turned our children#146;s old sandbox into a great raised garden bed. We removed the sand and put in some really good garden soil. Then we started the garden. We have tomatoes, peppers, squash and okra growing now. The old structure might even be turned into a #147;greenhouse#148; during the winter if we can find some heavy-duty plastic.ShoptalkŸ The Skil Oscillating Multi-Tasker is a great tool for a whole lot of DIY projects around the house. It comes with an 11-piece tool kit, including a detail sanding pad and assorted grit sanding sheets, a plunge blade for cutting everything from wood to metal, and a flush-cut blade. By adding a simple attachment adapter, you also can use the attachments from other similar tools. It#146;s great for detail sanding, cutting and scraping. The tool is easy to handle and even has a no-mar head to protect adjacent materials from scratches. To find out more about this tool and all of the attachments, visit www.skiltools.com, or go to your local hardware or home center.Ÿ If you are getting ready to install tiles on a floor or anywhere else, the surface must be very flat and smooth. This can be difficult to do, in many cases, but it is crucial to a successful project. A new product called Kerdi-Board is now available in a wide variety of thicknesses that can be placed on an uneven surface before installing tile. It#146;s made of extruded polystyrene foam with reinforcement layers and fleece webbing, designed to work with the thin-set for better adhesion. It even has grid lines printed right on it. It can be cut with a utility knife, so it#146;s very easy to work with. If you#146;ve wanted tile but were turned off by the thought of a lot of prep work, this may be the answer for you. It#146;s also great for the pros because it really speeds up the job. To find out more about this product and its availability, check out the company#146;s website, www.schluter.com.Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$