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When the weather starts to warm up, you probably start thinking about planning summer vacations and neighborhood cookouts. However, it’s also important to consider how you can get your air conditioner ready to battle the soaring temperatures of summertime. There are a few things you’ll want to do to prep your HVAC system for the summertime.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
First and foremost, you should schedule professional maintenance for your HVAC system. The sooner you can schedule service, the better, as it will give you more time to address any issues found before you need to use your cooling system daily. This maintenance will ensure that your system is working at peak condition, so you know you’re not wasting money on running an inefficient cooling system.
Clean Your Outside Unit
The outdoor condenser unit for your cooling system will need to be free from debris to operate efficiently. Take a look outside and remove any loose debris that is stuck to the unit, such as leaves or twigs. Make sure that any greenery is trimmed back at least 3 feet from the unit. You may want to consider installing a barrier, such as a small fence, just out from your condenser unit to help stop unwanted debris from getting stuck against your unit.
Stock Up on Air Filters
Your HVAC system uses an air filter to collect unwanted debris from the air inside your home. As the filter captures debris, it eventually gets filled up. This makes it much harder for air to travel through the filter, which results in your cooling system working much harder to deliver cool air to all the rooms of your home. Do yourself a favor and stock up on new air filters now. This way, you can easily check the filter in your cooling system every couple of weeks and quickly replace it when it’s full.
Check Your Vents
If you have a centralized air conditioning system, there will be a supply and return vent in each room of your home. You want to walk around and look at each vent to see if there are any obstructions that could block its airflow. For example, you may have accidentally moved your couch in front of your supply vent; this can make it very hard for your cooling system to be able to adequately deliver cold air to that area of your home.
Change Your Ceiling Fan Direction
During the winter months, your ceiling fan should be spinning in a clockwise direction. When the weather gets hotter outside, you want to switch your fans to spin in a counterclockwise direction. This helps to force air down onto you and your family. Just that simple breeze can make the room feel much colder. When you feel colder, you’ll be more likely to turn up the temperature on your thermostat and save money on energy costs throughout the hot summer months.
Program Your Thermostat
No summertime HVAC checklist is complete without programming your thermostat. You want to switch it from heat mode to cool mode. Take the time to program in desired temperatures depending on the time and day of the week. If you haven’t already, you should upgrade to a smart thermostat. This not only gives you the convenience of changing your settings from your smartphone, but it will actively monitor your HVAC usage and make suggestions on how to change the settings to be more energy efficient.
Invest in Duct Sealing Services
Now is a great time of year to consider investing in duct sealing services. With the Department of Energy suggesting that homeowners could be losing about 30% of their treated air through gaps in their ductwork, it only makes sense to get those gaps sealed up tight. Duct sealing will take care of reattaching joints and plugging any leaks found within your ductwork so that all of your cold air makes its way to the rooms throughout your home.
Seal Up Air Gaps
Over time, the natural process of expansion and contraction can cause air leaks to develop around doors and windows in your home. This can allow unwanted warm air to make its way inside your home during the summer months. By running your hand around each door and window, you’ll be able to identify any air gaps. You’ll want to seal them up with caulking or weatherstripping, depending on their location and size.
Test Your Unit
Before the hot summer weather hits, you want to test your cooling system to ensure that it’s working properly. You should set the thermostat temperature to about five degrees lower than the ambient temperature that it’s reading. You should hear your cooling system kick on. Be sure to walk around to each supply vent and make sure that an adequate amount of cool air is being delivered to each main room of your home.
Prep Your Windows
It’s important to remember that direct sunlight can cause the temperature inside your home to increase dramatically throughout the day. This is perfect in the wintertime when you’re looking to save on heating bills. But, it can be a real problem in the summertime as it will cause your AC unit to run continuously.
As part of your summertime AC prep, you’ll want to hang blinds or curtains that you can easily use during the day to shield out that direct sunlight. If you don’t want to hide your windows, then consider installing a UV-reflective window film to keep that unwanted heat out of your home during those hot summer days.
Consider Enhancing Your Insulation
If you live in an older home, then it’s likely there may have been a lack of insulation at the time of your home’s construction. Without adequate insulation, the inside of your home is more susceptible to penetration from the outdoors. This translates to hot air coming into your home and pushing your air conditioning system to work in overdrive just to keep your home comfortable. Adding insulation is a great way to increase the barrier between the inside of your home and the outdoors.
Open Your Attic Vent
During those hot summer months, the heat from the sun is constantly beating down on your roofing materials. Some of this heat will transfer from your shingles or other roofing material down to your attic. Without ventilation, your attic will be full of hot, humid air. As it heats up to temperatures of 150 degrees Fahrenheit and above, the heat will make its way down into your living space. Having a vent in your attic allows for the hot, humid air to circulate out of your attic. Therefore, it prevents it from affecting the temperature of your living space.
Expert AC Service
Atticman Heating and Air Conditioning, Insulation offers expert cooling services for the Sacramento, CA community. We can also assist with all your heating, ductless mini-split, ductwork, electrification, whole house fan, water heater, and insulation needs. Contact us today to schedule your next consultation with one of our licensed HVAC technicians.
