Cottonwood seeds vs AC condenser unit

My air conditioning condenser unit coated with cottonwood seeds June, 2015

My air conditioning unit no longer maintained proper temperature in the house.  It ran constantly but did not lower the temperature.   I noted more noise from the condenser unit. I shut off power to the condensing unit.

1/2 dirty and 1/2 clean unit

Cleaning with a soft bristle brush

Heavy levels of cottonwood seeds plugged the condenser.  I cleaned it with a soft bristle brush.  I finished tightening all the metal screen screws the next morning as the mosquitoes were hungry. 

The house AC now works properly and uses less energy.  Similar problems with outside air filters happen during this time of the year.  This restricts the flow of air in building air systems.

Change ceiling fan rotation for Summer and Winter

Redirect ceiling fans (MN Chamber of Commerce): "Air conditioning often produces the highest electricity bill in a business or home, especially when it’s used consistently during the summer months. So a worthy goal is limiting your air conditioning use as much as possible. One way to avoid A/C use is using ceiling fans. In the winter months, ceiling fans should go clockwise to push rising warm air downward. In the summer, however, the fans should circulate counterclockwise for the opposite effect. It’s usually as easy as flipping a switch in the center of the fan."

Additional personal advice.  Clean the ceiling fan blades off each time you change the rotation. This keeps the fan blade dust from falling on the floor. My failure to do this resulted in a tedious cleanup.