Do You Know How to Care for Your A/C System in Summer Months?

There is almost no feeling in the world more inviting than the coming of spring. The warm sun and pleasant air are welcomed by all after a seemingly interminable winter has come to an end. Many people’s moods are greatly affected by the weather outside making the coming of spring even more desirable.

Spring also indicates the coming of summer. There are some steps that every homeowner needs to take to best prepare their home for the hot summer months ahead. Most of these provisions revolve around ensuring that the HVAC system in their home is functioning properly.

If you are looking to keep your home cool and save money during the summer months, the HVAC system is the place to start.

There are many things that can go wrong within the air conditioning system that can cause it to work improperly or even not work at all. This can lead to extremely uncomfortable conditions in the home during the summer months.

These problems will have less of an impact if they are prevented rather than cured. Here are some great ways that you can get your home ready for the summer.

Test the System

When it starts to get hot out, test your system by changing the thermostat dial over to “cool.” An air conditioning system may have trouble working when it has been dormant throughout the winter. It should turn on when it is switched to cool but may not. If it doesn’t turn on you should contact an HVAC professional so that they can quickly ascertain what the issue is and remedy it quickly.

There are a few things that you can check when your cooling system won’t turn on. The first is to check the breakers in your electric system. You may have a blown fuse that needs to be replaced. If this doesn’t work, you may not be able to fix the problem on a do it yourself basis. It is important to test your system as soon possible before it gets too hot and you have an emergency.

Check the Outdoor Unit

Because your air conditioning unit is located outside, it is exposed completely to the elements during the harsh weather months. This means that it is highly susceptible to damage and may not work correctly when you try to turn it on for the first time when it gets warm out.

The first thing you should do when you are inspecting your outdoor air conditioning unit is to check the panels. The panels enclose the electrical system that connects the unit to the inside. If one of these panels is missing or damaged it could have a disastrous effect on the system. This is something that needs to be repaired by a trained HVAC professional if it occurs in your home.

It is also important to inspect the outer coil of the unit for any debris or damage. This outer coil cannot transfer heat correctly if it has any debris on it. This is something that is very easy to do and can really help your high efficiency air conditioner work properly.

Inspecting the outer panels and the outer coil of your air conditioning system is the place to start when ensuring that you are ready for the summer months ahead.

Change Your Air Filters

Clean air filters are a very important aspect of having a well-functioning air conditioning system. It is important to put new, clean ones in at the start of each spring.

Having clean filters makes your system perform better and helps save you money. Once the summer starts the air filters should be changed at a rate of about once a month.

The cleaner an air filter is, the better it will function with your high efficiency air conditioner.

Update Your Thermostat

If you have an older home, you may have an out of date thermostat controlling your HVAC system. It is wise to upgrade and get a programmable thermostat for your system.

The programmable system sort of operates as a “cruise control” for your HVAC system and helps regulate how much cooling the system needs to maintain its temperature. Because it is self-regulating it helps prevent the system from wasting energy that it doesn’t need to use in order to properly cool the home.

Upgrading to a programmable thermostat can go a long way towards saving you money on your monthly electric bill. In the long run, the cost of a new thermostat can be offset completely by the amount of money that it allows the homeowner to save on their utility bills.

Ceiling Fans

Make sure that all of the ceiling and house fans in your home are functioning properly. These can go a long way towards cooling your home and keeping your air conditioning system from having to run.

Fans that are doing their job properly can go a long way towards improving air flow in the home. You can even install a “whole house fan” that will help pull the cool air at night and circulate it.

This keeps the hot air out of your attic and keeps the home cool without having to overuse the high efficiency cooling system.

These are just some ways that you can prepare your HVAC system for the coming summer months. Like in the winter, there are many ways that you can prepare your system to help you save money on your monthly utility bills. Much like the heating system, a little prevention goes a long way towards keeping your system from having an emergency situation when it is extremely hot outside.

If you are having problems with your home’s cooling system you may be able to fix them yourself, but keep in mind, there are some problems that can only be fixed by an HVAC professional.

A properly functioning cooling system is essential to a home being comfortable in the hot summer months and helping keep utility bills down.

Blaze Air will be able to help remedy any issue that you may be having with the cooling system in your Winston-Salem, NC home. Give them a call at (336) 788-3222 today!