ARTICLES

TIPS TO HELP YOUR AIR CONDITIONING UNIT SURVIVE THE PHOENIX SUMMER

APR 26, 2018

The Phoenix summer is no joke when it comes to heat. While everyone will tell you that the heat is better because it’s dry, the truth is that it’s uncomfortable and the only real way to deal with it is by having a good air conditioner in your home. If you want your air conditioner to keep working, though, you’ll have to do more than just turn it on. You’ll need to follow some very specific air conditioning tips to make sure your unit not only keeps you cool during the summer, but also that it won’t fail in the extreme heat.

AIR CONDITIONING TIPS TO SURVIVE THE PHOENIX SUMMER

Helping your air conditioner to survive the summer isn’t as difficult as you might think. All you need to do is a little basic maintenance to get ahead of the problems that might occur. Doing so will not only save you money, but it will save you from having to wait on help when the temperature starts to climb. Instead of having to react to problems as they occur, you can follow these basic tips to make sure your air conditioner is able to make it through the hottest months of the year.

DON’T SKIP TUNE-UPS

It can be difficult to remember that your air conditioning unit is actually a fairly complex piece of machinery. Instead of thinking about it as something that always works, try to think about it more like your car. While you can usually depend upon it, you certainly need to make sure it receives regular maintenance if you want it to stay reliable. As such, one of the most important things you can do is to have a quick check-up done on the unit before the heat really arrives.

A good air conditioning tune-up isn’t a long process, but it will help you pinpoint any major problems before they get serious. In a best case scenario, it will allow you to fix minor issues before they cause you to deal with the heat on your own. In the worst case scenario, you’ll find out that you need to make major repairs before the summer arrives. Either way, you’ll have a chance to deal with all the maintenance problems before you have to endure through the lengthy waits that come with everyone else needing air conditioning repair help.

TAKE CARE OF THE OUTDOOR AREAS

While most people spend a lot of time worrying about the indoor portions of their HVAC system, most really don’t pay attention to the outdoor unit. This is because that large, often intimidating structure seems so solid – and because the problems always impact life inside. While you might not want to get out in the heat to do the work, doing a little bit of maintenance to the outdoor parts of your HVAC system is a very good way to make sure that your system continues to work in the heat.

Checking up on the air conditioner unit isn’t that hard. Most of what you’ll need to do is very easy and can be identified with a quick glance. If there is debris in or around the unit, clear it out. If the unit looks dirty, wipe it down. Pay careful attention to any dents or scrapes on the unit, especially if you have noticed cooling problems. Finally, make sure that no animals have made a comfortable nest in the outdoor unit – it’s not common, but having a rodent inside your air conditioning unit can obviously cause some fairly major problems. If you keep the outside parts clean, you’ll have a better chance of keeping the interior of your home cool.

CHANGE THE FILTERS

Anything that interferes with your air conditioner’s ability to put out cool air efficiently can cause long-term damage to the unit. This, in turn, can leave you with a nasty surprise next time the heat starts to climb. If there’s just one piece of maintenance you can do on your own to preserve the unit, it’s changing out your filters. This should only take you a few moments, but it will make a huge difference both in how well your home is cooled, and the amount of extra strain that is put on your HVAC unit.

Try to remember that there are many different filters out there, and that they aren’t all capable of filtering out pollutants in your home equally. Make sure you buy a high-quality filter that’s going to catch the various bits and pieces that are blown around your home. This will help with both your air conditioner’s functionality  and to make sure everyone in your home can breathe easily. While you might underestimate the importance of changing filters due to the simplicity of their design, rest assured that this is one of the best ways to make sure you can beat the summer heat.

BE REASONABLE

Perhaps the best way to help your air conditioning unit to survive the summer is to treat your air conditioning unit gently. While there it is certainly very understandable to keep the cool air blasting at all times to keep the heat at bay, this is a good way to put undue strain on both your air conditioner and your cooling bill. It’s not that you need to keep your air conditioner off to the point that you’re uncomfortable, but rather that you might need to toy with your settings.

As a rule, you don’t need to keep your home frigid while you are out of the house. It’s recommended that you keep the thermostat set to around eighty degrees when you know you are going to be out of the house and will be back soon. This will be enough to keep your home from turning into an oven, but not so much that you’ll have to be terribly uncomfortable while you wait for your home to cool back down once you’ve returned.

 

If you’re willing to follow these tips, your air conditioner has a much better chance of making it through the summer. While the heat is hard to beat, your air conditioner will make the hotter months more pleasant. Don’t feel like you need to do it all on your own, though. If you think that basic maintenance isn’t enough, you may need the help of a professional to ensure that your air conditioner is fit for the summer. When it’s time to get basic maintenance done – or even to get a new AC system – make sure to contact Donley Service Center for the professional help you need.