Florida Homeowner AC Maintenance Checklist

This month’s checklist

Tap a box as you go. It stays on this phone until you clear it.

Look at the filter. Once a month, per ENERGY STAR. Dirty after that month, swap it. Even if it still looks fine, 3 months is as long as you wait. Buy the size printed on the old frame. Arrows point toward the fan inside. Turn the cooling off first. ENERGY STAR says shut off the A/C, heat, and fan at the thermostat. Or the breaker. Mode Off. Turning it up to 80 is not the same. Need the power gone too? Flip the AC breaker to Off at the panel. Check the drain line. While it’s running, walk outside and look at the little pipe sticking out. It should drip. Water sitting by the indoor box, a musty smell, or the AC dead after a wet day means it’s plugged. Pour the little T. Power off first. Pour a cup of distilled vinegar at the little T on the pipe by the indoor box. Unscrew the cap. Do this once a month. Already plugged? Shop vac on the outdoor pipe. Vinegar will not pull dirt. Fan on Auto, most days. If Fan On is the only thing keeping the rooms from going swampy, that’s a symptom. Storm coming, or you’re leaving town. Mode Off first. Let the outdoor unit stop on its own. Then the outdoor shutoff if you’re cutting power. Don’t yank that switch while it’s still running.

Vinegar or bleach?

Think of it like a pool. Vinegar tips it one way. Bleach tips it the other. Once a month: a cup of distilled vinegar. Bleach instead: half a cup, once in a while, never monthly. Never mix them. Bleach and vinegar make chlorine gas.

This is a list for you, not a service call. ENERGY STAR still wants a licensed HVAC tech to look at the system before summer. There is no form here and no phone number. Call whoever you already trust.

Common questions

How often should I change the filter in Florida?

Look at it every month. Dirty means change it. ENERGY STAR says 3 months even when it looks OK.

Fan On or Fan Auto?

Auto, day to day. Fan On re-evaporates condensate off the coil. If Fan On is the only thing keeping humidity down, call a local tech.

Still guessing size? Use the AC tonnage calculator. Comparing kWh? SEER2 savings.

Florida homeowner AC maintenance checklist

This month’s checklist

Vinegar or bleach?

Common questions

How often should I change the filter in Florida?

Fan On or Fan Auto?