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As the cold winter weather finally goes away, many of us are getting ready to enjoy more time outdoors. However, before long, the warmer summer weather will be here, and you want to make sure your AC can handle the heat. It’s a good idea to prep your air conditioner for the upcoming season to ensure it’s ready to provide efficient, reliable cooling all summer long.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
The best way to kick off your springtime AC maintenance is to schedule professional AC tune-up service. The service includes many different things like lubricating movement parts, recharging your refrigerant level, calibrating your thermostat, cleaning coils, and so much more. AC maintenance is important to maintain the warranty coverage on your unit and to detect any potential problems it may have so we can repair them before they get worse.
Replace the Air Filter
It can be highly advantageous to install a new filter for your air conditioner. You might suffer from seasonal allergies, asthma, or another respiratory condition. If so, it can be helpful to spend a little extra money to purchase a filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating between 10 and 13. This offers better filtration than standard filters, which means fewer airborne allergens to irritate your allergies. It can be great to have a spare filter at your home so you can replace a dirty one every couple of months when necessary.
Clean the Condenser Unit
Your outdoor condenser unit needs some care before the start of the season. Start by uncovering it and cleaning up the space around the unit. You don’t want any leaves or shrubbery within a good three feet of your condenser unit, as that can restrict its airflow. Check the metal fins that surround the outside of the unit to see if any of them are bent. If they are, use a fin comb or a flathead screwdriver to bend them back into a horizontal position. Bent fins will decrease the operating efficiency of your air conditioner.
Examine the Air Vents
Check to ensure all the air vents throughout your home are fully open. You never want to close off any of the vents, as it will affect the functioning of your air conditioner. Ensure there’s at least two feet of open space around the vent for adequate airflow and wipe off any residue on the register to further improve airflow.
Program Your Thermostat
Switch your thermostat from heating to cooling and ensure your fan is set to auto instead of on. Now is a great time to program your desired temperature settings for the summertime. To better optimize your energy usage, be strategic when setting temperatures based on your schedule. For example, turn the temperature up when you’re going to be at work so your system runs less throughout the day.
Seal Any Air Leaks
Air leaks on your exterior walls can develop each year due to the natural shifting of your home in the ground. It’s important to close up all these air leaks to prevent the hot and humid outside air from penetrating your home during the summer months. By using caulking, weatherstripping, or a similar material, you can effectively seal any leaks you find around door or window frames on your exterior walls.
Set the Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can be a fantastic way to decrease your reliance on your air conditioning system throughout the summer. Ideally, you should have a fan in each main room of your home to better control your comfort level. Make sure all your ceiling fans are set to spin in a counterclockwise direction. This will force air down on you and wick away sweat to cool down your body naturally.
Install Curtains or Blinds
Any time direct sunlight infiltrates the inside of your home, it will increase the temperature. While this can be splendid during the winter months to help save on heating costs, it can be detrimental in the summertime, as it will raise your cooling costs.
Consider installing curtains or blinds on all the windows that receive direct sunlight throughout the day so you can effectively block it out. If you don’t want to use curtains or blinds, you can always invest in a more expensive window tint that will block out the unwanted UV rays.
Check the Attic Insulation
Your attic plays a key role in the overall efficiency of your air conditioner. When you have adequate insulation and venting, you can effectively prevent summertime heat in your attic from penetrating your home and causing your air conditioner to run more often.
It can be highly advantageous to crawl up to your attic and assess your insulation. If there are any spots missing insulation, be sure to fill them in. If your existing insulation is sitting below the floor joist, you’ll want to add to it so it sits just proud of the joists.
Additionally, your attic should have adequate ventilation throughout the entire year. Resist the urge to close off any of your attic vents during the summer, as it will allow the temperature inside your attic to reach exorbitantly high levels. When your attic temperature is too hot, it will increase the inside temperature of your home and cause your air conditioner to run more often. With adequate ventilation, your attic should be at the exact same temperature as the air outside.
Schedule Duct Cleaning
Most experts recommend having your ductwork professionally cleaned every three to five years. If you suffer from severe allergies or asthma, you may want to consider more frequent duct cleanings. During this process, we’ll remove the debris buildup from inside your air ducts to enhance your indoor air quality and the operating efficiency of your AC unit.
Furthermore, it’s best to seal up your ductwork about every eight to 10 years. With this service, a special sealant gets injected into your air ducts and hardens to seal up any leaks. This will greatly enhance the operating efficiency of your system, as it will eliminate any air loss through holes or gaps in your ductwork.
Perform a Test-Run
You never want to wait until it gets super hot outside to test-run your air conditioner for the first time in the year. It’s best to give it a test-run in the early spring so you can identify any problems you have and repair them before the upcoming hot weather. When test-running your system, walk around to all your supply vents and ensure adequate cold air is coming out of them.
Listen for any odd operational noises or smells coming from your vents. A slight burning smell may radiate from your vents as the dust on your unit burns off. However, this scent should dissipate within a few short minutes.
Expert AC Maintenance Service
Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric provides expert AC maintenance service for the Los Angeles, CA area. We can also help with all your air conditioning installation, replacement, and repair needs. Call our friendly office staff today to schedule your next service consultation with one of our helpful HVAC technicians.
