In honor of MeeCiteeWurkor, who has chronicled his battles with his lawnmower (new one here), among other things, I have previously written of my battles with the Waterpik and MRSA. Tonight I add my battle with the air conditioner.

About two summers ago, in the hottest part of the season, I called a local air conditioner repair place because our A/C just wan’t keeping up. I thought it might need a charge or something. The repair dude came around and told me it was just too hot for anyone’s A/C to keep up well. I think he thought I was trying to keep the house too cold. He looked at it, put a little refrigerant in it, and hosed down one side of the outside box, noting there was a lot of dog hair. That seemed to do the trick (although it was never really able to cool like I thought it should in our well-insulated house).

At the end of last summer, I began to notice a noise coming from the outside unit. Upon looking, I saw the exhaust fan wasn’t turning. I could use a screwdriver to help it take off and it would work fine. It was really the beginning of autumn, so we just turned it off and did fine without. I knew I’d need to get it looked at this summer.

As it’s beginning to warm up, I figured it was time to test it out. Upon turning it on, I noticed the same symptoms. I’m not terribly handy, but I am able to figure basic things out (and I like to save a buck if I can), so I decided to tackle it today. Online research showed it was likely a “run capacitor,” which helps the fan motor get running. I decided also to remove the motor so I can have it tested just to be sure. I’m hoping it’s the capacitor because they are about $12. The motor could be over $100.

Unfortunately, my unit sits on the north side of the house, which stays wetter then anywhere else on the planet. It’s also the dogs’ favorite hangout because of said dampness. They like to lay there in the moist shade all summer long. I would too if I were a dog. With our recent rain and the dog traffic, that side of the house is a muddy swamp. I gave up trying to wear shoes and just went barefoot, and I finally got smart enough to spread some flakes of straw around to help me get some traction.

After disconnecting the power, I tore into my unit. It was fairly easy work removing the motor and capacitor, but it was crazy trying to keep my footing ankle deep in mud or something like it. Not to mention, there isn’t much work room, as there is only about a foot of clearance between the A/C and the fence.

In the midst of this procedure, having removed a portion of the unit’s cover, I noticed it looked like the innards of the A/C were wrapped in insulation (like a dishwasher is). That didn’t make sense to me, so I looked closer. It wasn’t insulation but dirt, grime, and a significant amount of dog hair (why is it called fun while they wear it and hair when it falls out and gets into trouble?). I also learned that the evaporator coils cover four sides of the unit, and as I looked, I realized that my A/C was wearing a beagle-fur coat. No wonder the capacitor and/or motor went out. There went the rest of my day.

The electric supply store wasn’t open anyway, so I set about removing the cover from the whole unit so I could do a good clean. That in itself was a feat, due to the aforementioned ankle-deep mud and about a 1,000 screws Rheem has apparently determined are necessary to keep the unit in one piece. Finally removing the cover, I was able to give it a good wash with the hose. The drain holes were even clogged, so I used the force of the water to clear them out. Then I bought some coil cleaner and sprayed it down, let it sit the recommended 15 minutes, and rinsed it all out again. All in all, it’s probably the cleanest its been since it was installed. When it was all over, I was a mess, covered head to toe in mud, and I had to hose off before I came in the house to shower.

So, it’s been a busy and productive day, and I am tired. I’ll get the new capacitor this week and get the motor tested. Once I have it all back together, if I remember how, I’m counting on a better-cooling, cheaper-to-operate A/C unit. I am also a bit miffed that the repairman I had come out didn’t recommend doing this then (or offer to do it for me). Online research has shown that it’s recommended to give your A/C a good clean at least once a year, and frankly, the manufacturers should make the coils easier to get to and clean without deconstructing the whole unit, but that might not sell as many units.

I would have tweeted pics, but Jeane threatened me. She somehow thinks it reflects badly on us. I’m just glad I got to the bottom of it. I’ll also be doing away with the dogs’ direct access to the A/C.

So, check your A/C’s evaporator coils—especially if you have dogs. I’d love to hear your stories.