Very soon we will be in the midst of our hot summer months. We'll be relying heavily on our central air conditioners. Here are some tips for taking good care of your air conditioner to help it to run more efficiently and to last longer. 

1. Turn off the power to your air conditioner before you do any work to it. 

2. Clean debris from in and around the outside condenser unit. 

You may need to take off the top cage or grill to be able to access the debris inside. Use your hands or a wet/dry vac to carefully remove any debris. The coil fins inside this unit are very easy to bend. Bent fins can block air flow. If you do notice bent fins you can use a butter knife or a "fin comb" sold by a/c wholesalers to comb them gently back to their straight positions. 

3. Change your furnace air filter.

This should be done at a minimum of twice per year. Once when you service the a/c and again in the fall when you service the furnace. If you live in an area with a lot of dust or have pets that shed a lot of fur, you may need to change the furnace as often as once per month. 

4. Vacuum the blower compartment of the furnace. 

5. Check the Condensate Drain to make sure it's not clogged. 

6. Have the furnace professionally serviced every year or two in order to keep the coils cleaned and the refrigerant levels accurate. 

And that's a quick list of the things you can do to help keep your air conditioner running efficiently. Much of my information was obtained from the Department of Energy at the below link.