How to make Window A/C More Efficient

Question:
Before I get into this, I have cleaned the filter and blown out what I can of my air conditioner.

The AC works just fine well, when it's not hot. That sort of defeats the purpose. This might have you thinking that it doesn't work at all and the cool air is just ventilating inside and the AC is just really half-assed, but when it is dark outside, the AC works fine. It plays in frosty, freezing air like it should when I have it on high I still don't understand how right at about 8PM all the way until about noon things work just fine. After noon and until 8PM, it is insanely loud and after about 10 minutes you'll hear it jump and get real quiet while it's still on but it's just not pushing out cold air..

During the day, the AC is extremely loud. It "powers down" as if it doesn't have the required electricity or something, and it basically does not work during the day, in Florida, when it is hot. Being that it works perfectly fine at night, why is this? What part of the day and sunlight renders my AC useless until sunset?

Answer:
The condenser coils are probably dirty, which causes the unit to overheat and shut off the compressor every once in a while. The air is pulled in through vents in the sides of the unit and the fan pushes the air through the coil out the backside. Looking at the back of the unit the coil generally looks clean but all the dirt is accumulated on the other side (inside) of the coil. So when it is warmer out the condenser is too dirty to allow the compressor to stay running so, no cooling. To clean the condenser you might have to remove the unit and take it apart and vacuum, blow out, and/or rinse out the condenser with a garden hose. When it gets to this point, most people just buy a new one.

Take the unit outside. Take off the outer housing; tightly wrap the motor and compressor terminal connection and the electrical box or area where the controls are with plastic to keep these areas dry.

Then you spray both coils with water to soak it. Then you spray it with some very good cleaner for dirt and oil - off the shelf stuff. Then you rinse it. Do it again if it was very dirty. Then let it get as dry as it can and reinstall it.

Alternatively, you can go to any one of the big stores and buy a new one. You should look for a life of ten to fifteen years on it. This time of year, you can get a good one for $100 or less.

P.S. I have cleaned hundreds of window shakers and have used acid cleaners but I do not recommend these cleaners to the casual user as they are some nasty stuff and will corrode anything that the rinse hits like siding or concrete or driveways or bushes or any plants or grass etc. etc.