Don’t you think now is a good time to give your air conditioner some attention? A little care now can save you significant money later on. There are some things you can do yourself that will really help your AC to do its best this summer. None of them are difficult or expensive. Let’s take a look.
Before you really need it, turn the unit on for a little while and make sure it’s working. If it doesn’t start right up, check the switches and breakers. Also make sure that you have the thermostat set to cool and low enough to activate the unit.
Take a look at the air conditioner unit itself. Did you pile up a bunch of end-of-summer lawn chairs or such around the AC, figuring that you wouldn’t be needing those for a while? Your air conditioner can’t work if it can’t breathe. So remove any lawn stuff, debris, or what-have-you from the vicinity. Give the shrubbery a trim too, while you’re at it. That will help the air flow.
The filters need to be changed. Dirty filters are non-functioning filters. They can rob you of AC performance and also take your money. If an air conditioning unit is run long enough with bad filters, the coil can freeze up and then you will lose you cooling capacity until you get tend to it.
Your air condition will have a drain that allows it to get rid of water from condensation. That drain needs to be checked and cleaned. If it gets plugged, water damage can occur inside your home, which can cost you plenty. If it’s dripping it’s probably working fine, but really you want to get that checked out by a professional, unless you are sure you know what you are doing.
Be thorough, but be cautious. That is an electrical system you’re working on. You don’t want to take any chances with safety. If after you have changed the filters and cleared up around the unit itself, you decide to call on the professionals, good for you. An AC specialist can save you far more than they cost you, and help you keep your cool to boot. You’re going to need that air conditioning system this summer, and you’ll thank yourself for getting it seen to now.
