In the dog days of summer, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than heat waves without air conditioning! Here are a few tips we like to give our customers for beating the heat that can go a long way in keeping you and your family happy and cool.
• Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Keeping the body hydrated can help you feel better overall and prevent heat-related health problems.
• Limit outdoor physical activity to early morning hours before temperatures reach their peak or after sunset when the temperatures start to cool again.
• To save energy, our recommendation to homeowners is not to turn your thermostat off, or to turn it way up while you are not home, but rather to turn it a few degrees warmer than you would typically have it during the day. So for example if you like your home set at 76 while you’re home, you should set the thermostat at 78-79 degrees while you’re away. That way your air conditioning system is not working extra hard at the end of the day. The amount of energy you conserve during the day is actually more than what you would save if you turned the thermostat off.
• Give your air conditioning unit a tune-up now so it’ll work when you need it most. Homeowners with central air should have a licensed professional like On Time Air Conditioning & Heating, clean and inspect condensate drain lines and fittings, test system starting and running capacitors, test all the controls, switches, relays, transformers, contactors, motors, and fans as well as measure the starting and running amperes, line voltage and control voltage.
• Homeowners should clear debris and dirt from the grills, condenser coils and filters every month and replace the filters when needed. Trim any vegetation within two feet of the unit. And check the pipe that drains condensed water from the indoor unit to make sure it is working properly and isn’t leaking.
• And don’t forget: check on elderly neighbors and keep an eye on pets, as they are at a greater risk for heat-related health problems.
If you would like more information about maintaining your system, you can visit our A/C Maintenance page or feel free to call us at 623-209-8333 with questions or to schedule a tune-up.
