Need some tips for AC maintenance? Trying to learn how to keep your AC running strong during the summer?
If you want to stay comfortable at home during the summer months, it’s important that you give your AC the attention and care it deserves. By doing just a bit of AC unit maintenance, you’ll ensure that your AC keeps working well during the entire year.
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Below we’ll tell you how you can successfully keep up with AC maintenance.
1. Get Professional Help
One of the keys to keeping your AC well-maintained is to make sure that you’re scheduling a professional to inspect it regularly.
The best time to have a professional come by is at the beginning of the summer when you know you’ll be needing your unit soon. An HVAC service professional can check whether your AC is in working order and can take a closer look at all of the components to see if there are any issues. They’ll also change AC air filters and perform some basic maintenance tasks that will help your air conditioner stay in great shape.
By getting professional AC maintenance, your unit will last longer and you’ll have fewer issues as the season goes on.
2. Give It Space
Another thing to do to maintain your AC unit is to make sure that it has enough space to function properly. There should be enough clearance room around the unit to allow the AC to circulate the air. The unit should have at least 2 feet of completely open space around it and at least 5 or 6 feet of space directly above it.
Be sure that you remove any branches, bushes, or plants that are near the unit and ensure that they aren’t too close and getting in the way.
3. Take Care of the Outside Unit
If you want to keep your AC running strong during the summer months, it’s important to give your outside unit some extra attention.
In addition to ensuring there is adequate clearance around your unit, you should also make sure that you clean it from time to time and check for any dirt, leaves, grass, or debris that has built up in and around it. You can clean your unit easily by powering it off and then gently spraying it with a garden hose.
Be sure that you check your AC for damage and keep it clean if you want it to keep functioning well during the warmer months.
4. Pay Attention to Your Air Filters
One of the main ways to keep your AC running strong month after month is to ensure that you either clean or replace your air filters when needed.
Air filters work to filter out contaminants such as dust and pet hair, and if they aren’t working as they should be, then they could become clogged. When this clogging occurs, your AC will not work as efficiently and your energy bills will be higher as well.
If air filters are dirty, then your AC unit may start overheating or stop working altogether. This can be a big inconvenience if your AC unit stops working on a particularly hot summer day. You may want to go to https://www.schneidermechanical.com/what-to-do-when-your-air-conditioner-overheats to find out exactly what to do if your AC system overheats.
5. Use It Efficiently
When using your AC system, it’s best that you don’t overdo it. Ideally, you should leave your thermostat between 75 and 80 degrees at all times and avoid using any more power than you need to keep yourself cool in the hot summer months.
If you turn the temperature too low, you’ll end up wasting a lot of energy. As a result of overusing your AC system, your utility bills will also be much higher as well.
6. Eliminate Sources of Heat
To make sure that your AC unit isn’t being pushed harder than necessary, it’s a good idea to eliminate any potential sources of heat around your house. If you’re heating your home up while cooling it at the same time, your utility bills will be high and you’ll end up overworking your AC system without a good reason.
Instead, make sure to close your curtains when your air conditioning unit is running. You should particularly make sure to pay attention to the windows that have the most sun coming in during the day.
7. Upgrade Your Thermostat
Another thing you can do to improve your AC unit is to make sure you’re using a great thermostat. If your thermostat has seen better days and is an older unit, it may be due for a replacement. Getting a smart thermostat can be a great idea.
With a smart thermostat, you’ll be able to program your AC to automatically adjust the temperature based on whether you’re home or not. You can easily program the temperatures you want for certain times of day without the need to adjust your thermostat manually.
Using a smart thermostat can help quite a bit when keeping your AC functioning well. It will help you be more efficient when cooling your home and will help ensure that you don’t pay more than necessary for utilities each month.
Handling AC Maintenance Using the Tips Above
To have the easiest time keeping up with AC maintenance, make sure you start early. Start taking care of your AC system well before anything goes wrong. By using the tips above, you’ll keep your AC in great working order and will avoid experiencing big problems at inconvenient times.
Need more home care and maintenance tips? Search through our blog now to find more helpful home tips and advice.
