DIY guideAC and heat pump

Shut the air conditioner down for winter

Switch the outdoor unit off at its disconnect, clear the leaves out and cover the top only, so it rests dry through the winter.

7 steps

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If the outdoor unit also heats your home, it's a heat pump: leave it on all winter. These steps are for an air conditioner.
Set the thermostat so it won't call for cooling: Off, or Heat.
Open the small box on the wall beside the unit and pull out the block, or flip its lever to Off.
Touch only the block or the lever, with dry hands. Damaged or wet? Leave it.
Pick leaves, seeds and grass off the top grille and away from the sides, and trim plants back.
Lay a breathable cover or a board on top and weigh it down. Never wrap the sides: it traps damp and invites mice.
Take the cover off before the warm days, and turn the disconnect back on a day before you run the AC.
Bent or crushed fins, oily stains, or a damaged disconnect box: leave it off and ask Handyman for a heating and cooling tech.

Handyman says: Damaged unit? I'll find an HVAC tech.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.