3 Tips To Prepare Your Home’s Air Conditioning System For Summer
With summer right around the corner, your home’s air conditioning system is going to be getting a serious workout over the coming months. Making sure that your air conditioning system is ready for the period of heavy use ahead of it isn’t that hard, but it is something that you need to take care of to ensure that your system is running as efficiently as possible with little to no issues this coming summer. No one wants to be stuck out in the heat during the summer months, or wants to wind up paying a fortune in cooling costs. Your air conditioning system can consume up to 30 percent more energy if it isn’t properly maintained, and that’s not a number anyone wants to see when the energy bill comes around. To help you keep your system functioning efficiently and effectively like it should be, our team of HVAC professionals here at Revolution Heating & Cooling have taken the time to put together this short list of steps you can take to prepare your home’s air conditioning system for the coming summer.
Clean & Maintain Your Filters
Clogged A/C filters are the leading cause of air conditioning system breakdowns all across the country, and the sad truth of the matter is that they are one of the easiest issues to take care of when it comes to system maintenance. You should change or clean your air filters at least every month to ensure that your system isn’t haven unneeded strain placed upon it and that it doesn’t have to work harder to cool your home than it has to. In addition to shortening the lifespan of your air conditioning system, leaving old, clogged air filters in place can have a negative effect on your indoor air quality, polluting the air you and your family breath in to be contaminated with dust, dirt, and bacteria. Changing out your old air filters at least on a monthly basis is one of the best things you can do for your home’s air conditioning system.
Check For Air Flow Leaks & Obstructions
If you have gaps or obstructions in your air ducts, it can seriously reduce the airflow in your air conditioning system, which is why it pays to make sure that your ducts are free of either of these conditions before your system goes into heavy use this summer. During this pre-summer checkup, you will also want to make sure that your blower components are in good working order, since the efficiency of your system can drop by as much as fifteen percent if they aren’t. This is also the time to make sure that your fireplace damper, if you have one, is closed to help prevent cool air from escaping through your chimney, causing your air conditioning system to work longer and harder to compensate. You will also want to check around your doors and windows for any areas that feel drafty, as damaged windows and doors can cause you to lose more cool air than you might ever realize.
Maintain Your Coil & Compressor
During your spring air conditioning maintenance, you will want to be sure that you clear away any dirt, debris, and plant matter that might have gathered around your outdoor unit. You want to keep the area around your outdoor unit clear since any debris or dirt that gets into the system can cause serious damage. You will also want to clean the coils and the condenser regularly as these can decrease your system’s efficiency when they aren’t kept clean of dirty and grime.