Prolong the Life of Your HVAC with These Easy Steps

When the streets start to sizzle from the heat and you get the urge to stand in the shower for hours to cool down, using the air conditioning system in your home can be a real life-saver. To keep your AC in perfect condition and operating in full capacity, you need to take care of your unit and the space around it. Besides the usual advice about cleaning the filters and doing an annual checkup before the summer starts, here are five simple ways you can help your AC work better when you need it the most.

1. Take care of your outdoor unit

Before using your AC, make sure nothing is blocking your outdoor unit. Clean the space around it and eliminate excess grass, weeds or even flowers growing next to it. After periods of poor weather and strong winds, check for debris and clean the unit.

2. Give your floor registers some space

Be careful while decorating your house and try to avoid putting furniture directly above your floor registers. If you cover them, you will prevent the air from circulating, and your HVAC will not heat nor cool your space correctly. Forcing the air back into the register will create additional problems in your ducts.

3. Use your window blinds

Just because you are cooling your space with your AC, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to use additional methods to reduce the temperature of the air coming into your home. One of the best ways to prevent your home from overheating is to pull down the blinds on your windows. That means your AC will need less energy to cool the interior of your home to the preferred temperature.

4. Adjust the thermostat

Be careful not to exaggerate when lowering the temperature inside your home, in comparison to the situation outside. Most homes have less than ideal insulation which means the AC will not be able to sustain a temperature difference of 30 degrees or more, even though it will keep trying. Instead of forcing your AC into overdrive, invest in a programmable thermostat to keep the temperature of your home under control.

5. Choose when to turn on your AC

Avoid using the AC in cases when the perfect temperature of your home is easily achievable by opening the windows. Instead of using a lot of energy, simply create a light breeze and enjoy the nice weather without racking up an enormous electricity bill.

In case you discover that your HVAC needs thorough maintenance, feel free to contact us at Total Comfort Heating and Cooling to schedule a consultation with our team.