When the weather starts to heat up outside, it’s time to get your air conditioning system prepped for its upcoming summer run. However, your summertime preparation shouldn’t stop there. There are many things that you can do to help ensure that your home stays nice and cool this summer season.
Schedule Professional AC Maintenance
The first preparation step that should be on your list is to contact your chosen HVAC technician to schedule professional maintenance service. They will go through your system, testing all its connections, lubricating moving parts, identifying any problems, and so forth. Annual maintenance is important not only to ensure that your system is working at peak efficiency but also to keep the warranty active on your cooling system. It’s best to try to schedule this maintenance service in early spring. This is so your cooling system is ready to go for the upcoming summer season.
Prep Your Outside Unit
Professional AC maintenance is a must.However, there are some things you’ll want to do as a homeowner to prepare your system for the summertime. Start by cleaning around your outdoor condenser unit. Any debris pushed up against the unit should be removed, and any shrubbery should be trimmed back at least three feet. Additionally, you’ll want to straighten out any fins that are bent to ensure that your unit has optimal airflow.
Stock up on Air Filters
It’s imperative that you change out the air filter on your cooling system whenever it reaches the end of its lifespan. A dirty filter will tremendously affect your AC system’s ability to produce cold air. In fact, it will run more often to try and keep up with the cooling demands it could regularly meet with a clean filter. Do yourself a favor and stock up on new air filters so that you can replace the dirty ones as soon as you check them.
Program Your Thermostat
If you haven’t yet upgraded to a programmable or smart thermostat, it’s time to do so. A programmable thermostat allows you the ability to program in different temperature settings for different times. This means you can increase the temperature when you’re not going to be home. That is so your cooling system doesn’t run when it’s unnecessary.
If you go with a smart thermostat, you not only get all the benefits of a programmable thermostat, but much more. A smart thermostat is controllable via your smartphone, so you can change your settings anywhere you have internet connectivity. Additionally, a smart thermostat will monitor your usage and make eco-friendly suggestions for your settings to help reduce your energy bills.
Change the Direction of Your Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are a great way to help keep your home feeling cool while reducing your overall energy usage. In the summertime, you’ll want your fans to spin in a counterclockwise direction. This will force air down onto you and make the room feel much colder than it actually is. When your rooms feel cooler, you’ll be able to turn up your thermostat without sacrificing your comfort level. The higher your thermostat is set, the less often it’s going to run and the more you’ll save on your summertime utility bills.
Seal off Air Gaps
With constant expansion and contraction of building materials due to the weather, your home is likely to develop air gaps over time. These are most prominently found around doors and windows. You should run your hand around these locations and check for differences in temperature. If you notice air gaps, you’ll want to seal them off with caulking or weatherstripping. Additionally, check the outlets and light switches on your exterior walls for any air movement. If there is some air moving, you can use foam insulation covers to stop it.
Consider Insulation
If you live in an older home, it’s likely that it may lack the proper amount of insulation to keep the cool air inside your home. One of the best investments you can make when it comes to older homes is upgrading their insulation. There are various options out there, such as batt rolls that can be applied to the attic and foam insulation that can be forced behind finished walls. The thicker your insulation is, the less likely hot air will be able to make its way inside your home.
Put up Your Clothesline
When it comes to keeping your home cool during the summer months, there are things you can do. One of the best things is to avoid running appliances that heat up the air. One of the most common is your dryer. You can easily avoid running your dryer by simply using an outdoor clothesline. Thanks to the warmth of the sun and the summertime breeze, your laundry can naturally dry outside. This will avoid putting any excess humidity into your home. Now is the perfect time to get that clothesline set up. This is so that you don’t have any hesitations later about putting your clothes outside to dry.
Get into the Habit of Running Your Exhaust Fans
It’s important to realize that humidity inside your home spells disaster. When the air gets humid, it can make a room feel so much hotter than it actually is. This can have you turning up your thermostat to combat the warmth that you feel. You can avoid introducing excess humidity into your home by simply running your exhaust fans. These fans should be turned on whenever you’re taking a shower or cooking on the stove. Your exhaust fans will easily force that hot, humid air straight to the outdoors.
Use Those Curtains and Blinds
Direct sunlight can cause your home to heat up tremendously. This can be good in wintertime, but it is a real problem in the summertime. That is because your cooling system will have to run overtime to keep the temperature down. A great way to combat the warming of direct sunlight in your home is to use curtains or blinds. By simply blocking out the sunlight, you can keep your rooms nice and cool. If you don’t want to block your view, consider adding reflective window film to keep the UV rays out.
Get Your Grill Prepped
Cooking indoors while you’re trying to stay cool can be a real challenge. Anytime you cook on the stove or in the oven, it’s going to introduce unnecessary heat into your home. Then, your poor air conditioning system is going to have to kick into overdrive to cool your home back down. Instead of introducing that heat, you should consider cooking your meals outdoors. The springtime is the perfect time of year to pull out your grill and get it cleaned up. This way, it’s super simple to take your meals outside and get them cooked up.
Reliable AC Service
Erica's Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Restoration offers reliable air conditioning service for the entire Coral Springs, FL community. We can also help with your plumbing, restoration, indoor air quality, commercial, ductless mini-split, heat pump, drain cleaning, and sewer needs. Contact our friendly staff today to schedule your next service appointment.
