How To Prepare Your Air Conditioner for the Summer
As a homeowner, you have a lot of responsibilities on your plate. When the warm summer weather starts to come back around, one very important maintenance task that you have is to prepare your air conditioning system for the long run ahead. Homeowners who regularly perform maintenance on their air conditioning systems deal with fewer breakdowns during the summer months.
Change Your AC Filter
Each home’s centralized air conditioning unit has a filter in it. This filter works to catch any loose debris and allergens that are in the air. As these filters do their jobs, they start to get clogged with unwanted debris. When this happens, you need to remove the filter in your unit and replace it with a new one. It’s recommended that you replace your AC filter every three months for the best quality air in your home.
Changing an AC filter is pretty simple to do. You want to identify the filter that you need for your system, which you can do based on the existing filter in the unit. You have many options when it comes to the type of filter that you use. For those who have lots of allergies, you may want to consider purchasing a more expensive HEPA filter because it can filter out more allergens than traditional filters. If you’re not interested in purchasing new filters every three months, you can opt for a reusable filter. You’ll need to remove the filter, clean it out, dry it off, and reinstall it.
Clean Up Your Outdoor Unit
The condenser unit for your air conditioning system sits outside and close to your home. Due to its position outside, it’s exposed to all the elements and debris that are floating around outside. To help ensure that your air conditioning system runs at its optimal speed, you’ll need to have a clean condenser unit. Go ahead and shut off the unit, and remove the outside cover. You want to clean out any loose debris that you find inside of the unit, including on the fins and the coils.
If you noticed throughout the cleaning process that some of the fins are bent, it’s a good idea to bend them back into place. You need to be very gentle with these fins because they are made of very thin metal. While you’re cleaning out your unit, it’s a good idea to trim back any shrubs that are close to the unit and to remove any loose debris around the unit pad. In addition, you want to check that the unit is a level on the concrete slab. The condenser unit needs to be level in order to work at its optimal speed.
Clean the Drain and Condensation Lines
As your air conditioner works, it creates condensation that is drained to the outside. When loose debris or even just hard water gets built up in the pipes that remove the condensation, it can create a clog. By cleaning your condensation lines and the drain, you can help to prevent water from backing up inside of your air conditioning system and your home. Don’t skip over this step because having a water problem inside of your home can result in a very hefty repair bill.
Program Your Thermostat
Now, is the time to sit down and to program your thermostat based on your summertime schedule. One of the best ways to save on energy costs is to increase the temperature of your air conditioner while you’re at work. For example, if you work from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., you’ll want to program your thermostat to be at a higher temperature of 88 degrees during this period. At around 4 p.m., you’ll want to program your thermostat to go back down to 78 degrees so that it’s nice and cool in your home when you get home.
Check Your Ductwork for Leaks
If you’re like most homeowners, you have exposed ductwork in the attic and basement of your home. It’s a good idea to take some time and run over each section of ductwork to ensure that it’s not broken or ripped. If you do notice any sort of leaks in your ductwork, it’s best to use an approved tape to seal the leak. Any leaks in your ductwork can result in a big loss in energy savings throughout the summertime.
Expert AC Service
If you need help prepping your AC unit for the upcoming summer, it’s time to give Breeze Air Conditioning a call. Our expert technicians have been serving the heating and cooling needs of Palm Desert residents for over 40 years.