Summer is when the days stretch like sleepy cats in the sun and everything seems to slow down to a lazy crawl. Everything, that is, except our much loved, oft-forgotten, and most neglected friend, our air conditioning unit. When temperatures are this high, it is hard to image doing much more than sitting in a cool, dark room and watching condensation slip slowly down the sides of an icy beverage. The compressor seems to run full time, but at least it is comfortable.
Oh blessed giver of cool air, how we love thee.
But if you aren’t careful, you may lose it right when you need it most. Like any hard-working machine, your air conditioner needs to be regularly serviced to make sure it is working like the finely tuned athlete that is it. There are also several things you can do to make its tireless job just a little easier.
Give You’re A.C. Some Love
- Get a yearly check-up. Before temperatures rise, have a licensed professional tune it up to make sure it is operating at peak performance.
- Change your filters. If they are clogged, your A.C. must work harder and less efficiently.
- Get a programmable thermostat. We all forget to tweak the temperature before we leave the house everyday. Setting a timer will ensure that you aren’t cooling an empty house needlessly.
- Turn on fans. Switch them to run counter-clockwise in the summer if you can.
- Close off unused rooms. Shutting doors and vents keeps you from cooling what you don’t use.
- Close the blinds. Bright sunlight is your AC unit’s nemesis.
