As the cold winter weather finally gives way to some warmer days, it’s likely that you’re thinking about preparing your home for the upcoming summer season. One of the most essential things you want to prepare is your air conditioning system. We’re going to go over our checklist of necessary steps to ensure that your system stays in tip-top condition throughout the warmer months of the year.
Professional Maintenance Service
One of the first things that you want to do to ensure your system is ready for the summer is to schedule professional maintenance service. This will include things like calibrating your thermostat, recharging refrigerant levels, testing electrical connections, lubricating moving parts, and so much more. All of these are done with the intent of helping to extend the overall longevity of your system, ensuring that it’s operating as efficiently as possible. It’s crucial to realize that this maintenance service is typically necessary to maintain the warranty coverage on your system and will go a long way in helping to reduce your energy bills throughout the summer.
Check Air Vents
The air vents throughout your home are an important part of your air conditioning system. In order for your system to operate efficiently, all of your air vents need to be in the fully open position. If any of them are closed off, it can affect the pressure of air inside your ducting and cause inefficiency for your system. Take a moment and check all of your supply and return vents to make sure that they’re fully open, and verify that there are no obstructions in their way. If possible, go ahead and pop off the register covers and give them a good washing.
Clean Around Condenser Unit
The condenser unit for your air conditioning system plays a big role in its overall ability to remove heat from your home. It’s essential that there are roughly three feet of open space surrounding the entire unit for it to work perfectly. If there are any shrubs or low-hanging branches, be sure to trim them back. Remove any debris or twigs that are pushed up against the unit. If possible, even consider putting up a barrier a few feet back from the unit to help prevent blowing debris from ending up against the side of your condenser unit.
Change Air Filter
Before summer allergies set in, replace the air filter inside of your air conditioning system. A clean filter is necessary to ensure that your system is operating as efficiently as possible. It also ensures you’re getting the best quality air possible. Be sure to keep extra filters available for when you do need a change in the future. If you or another member of your household suffers from asthma or severe allergies, you may want to consider investing in a filter with a MERV rating between 10 and 13. This will provide great filtration for your system while still allowing it to operate efficiently.
Consider Duct Cleaning and Sealing
If you have an air conditioning system that uses ductwork to deliver cold air throughout your home, then that ductwork is going to get dirty over time. As debris, like dust, builds up over time, it can restrict the flow of air through your ducting and worsen your indoor air quality. Getting professional duct cleaning service every few years is a great way to help remove that buildup of debris.
You may even want to consider getting ductwork service every 5 to 10 years. This is where one of our professionals will use specialized equipment to seal up any air leaks in your ducts. This service will help to ensure that all the cold air that your air conditioning system produces makes it to the rooms in your home instead of diverting into the wall and floor cavities through leaks in your ducting.
Switch Ceiling Fan Direction
Ceiling fans can be a great way to help make you feel more comfortable inside your home without having to turn down the temperature on your thermostat. When we get into the spring season, it’s important to switch the direction that you’re ceiling fans spin so that you can optimize their usage for the hot weather. Make sure that they’re spinning in a forward or counterclockwise direction. This will force air downward so that you have a nice breeze across your body that will wick away sweat naturally. Ceiling fans are a great way to help make your room feel up to 10 degrees colder than it actually is.
Seal Off Air Leaks
Air leaks can be one of the biggest problems that kills the efficiency of your air conditioning system. These most commonly happen around door and window frames on the exterior walls of your home. When hot outside air can seep into your home through these air leaks, it will increase the temperature inside your home. This will cause your air conditioning system to turn on constantly to combat the hot air.
A great way to eliminate this issue is to identify any air leaks that you have on your exterior walls. Seal them up with something like weather stripping or spray foam to help prevent the hot air from coming into your home. Make sure that you also check around outlets and light switches on the exterior walls as they can allow hot air in, too. To seal these locations up, you’ll need to use a foam insert pad that sits behind the cover plate.
Program Your Thermostat
As you transition out of heating into cooling, make sure that you’re updating the settings on your thermostat. Switch from heating mode to cooling mode. Ensure that you have your unit set to Auto and not On, as you don’t want the fan to be running 24/7. If you don’t yet have a programmable or smart thermostat, it’s high time to consider investing in one. These allow you to program in different temperature settings depending on the time of the day and the day of the week.
This can do wonders for helping to reduce your energy bills as you can set the temperature to be higher at times when you know that you’re not going to be home. This way, you’re not wasting precious air conditioning when no one is there to enjoy it. Many smart thermostats even have integrated learning technology. This technology can help to make suggestions on how to alter your system’s settings to better enhance the efficiency of your system.
Check Your Attic Vents and Insulation
One of the last things that you want to do is crawl up to your attic and inspect your vents and insulation. Make sure that all your vents are open so that the temperature of your attic can be the same as the temperature outside. Additionally, check all your insulation to see if any of it is missing. If so, replace it to optimize the efficiency of your home during the summer season.
Exceptional HVAC Maintenance Service
American Home Pros offers exceptional HVAC maintenance service for the Jenks, OK area. We can also help with all your HVAC repair, installation, and indoor air quality needs. Simply call our office today to book your service consultation with one of our helpful HVAC technicians.
