Your air conditioner can end up as as overheated and overtaxed in the summer as you can. If your unit is working too hard, it may stop working as efficiently as it used to, or it may even ice over.
Thankfully, it’s not too hard to ease up some of the pressure on your unit. Take care of your Air Conditioner with these simple tips, and it’ll take care of you.
Give Your Unit a Tune-Up
Ideally, you should call in an HVAC professional to perform routine maintenance on your air conditioning unit, anywhere between two to four times a year. The contractor will clean the unit, replace its Freon or other refrigerant and make sure everything’s operating as it should. Plus, they should be able to catch and fix any problems before they cause the Air Conditioner to fail.
If you’re late in the season, never fear. It’s never too early to get your Air Conditioner tuned up, so get this done as soon as possible.
Clean the Filter
Cleaning out your air conditioner’s filter is something you can do yourself. Clean it once a month, to make your A/C’s job easier, and to improve your air quality in your home.
Check Your Insulation
If your home is well-insulated, your air conditioner won’t need to run as long or as hard. Your home’s climate will be better separated from the out-of-doors, with no cold air escaping or hot air entering. If your Air Conditioner is working hard, it may be time to insulate your attic, or put weatherstripping around your windows.
Incidentally, this means you shouldn’t open your windows during summer, when your air conditioner is running. Your A/C is more effective than any cool breeze.
Use Heat-Producing Appliances Carefully
Appliances like your oven or your dryer can heat up your home a lot. If the weather’s warm, don’t run these appliances during the hottest times of the day, when your unit is already working its hardest to keep your home cool. Save these appliances for the cooler evenings instead.
Shut Your Blinds
Nothing is nicer than summer sunshine, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily want it in your home. Shut your blinds to keep sunlight from entering through your windows and turning your home into a greenhouse.
Use Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans circulate air and make your home feel cooler. Remember that in summer, your fans should turn counterclockwise, to push cooler air down.
Program Your Thermostat
Your A/C doesn’t have to be operating full blast when you’re out of the house. Let your home get a little warmer when you’re gone, to cut down on your energy bills and give your hard-taxed unit a rest.
Replace Your Unit
If your A/C is over ten years old, then you’ll typically see a severe drop-off in the unit’s efficiency. Talk to your HVAC contractor at your unit’s next tune-up, and see if it’s time to replace your air conditioner.
In hot weather, your air conditioner has to work much harder to keep your home cool. Take some steps to keep your home cool and ensure your A/C unit is well-maintained, contact us and you’ll see a big improvement in your air conditioner’s performance.