How to Get Your Air Conditioner Ready for

Summer

If you are worried about incurring huge cooling bills during the hot months of the year, here's how to get your air conditioner ready for summer. While some people always expect their utility bills to increase during summer, this does not always have to be the case.

By preparing your AC unit for summer, you will be able to:

- Reduce your utility bills- Make your home comfortably warm and

healthy to live in- Prevent frequent breakdowns when you

need the AC most- Extend the lifespan of your HVAC

system

Air conditioners have three components; the outdoor unit, wall-mounted indoor unit and the air ducts. All these need to be checked and serviced while preparing for summer. As you prepare for a season change, be sure to do the following:

1. Inspect and Change Air Filters in the AC

In addition to regulating room temperatures, air conditioners also filter-out dust, pollen and any other type of debris. The air filters are responsible for this task.

As you wait for summer, it is important that you check the condition of the filters in your air conditioner and replace them if necessary.

Clogged filters can reduce the efficiency of the AC machine, and this may lead to higher utility bills. It is therefore important that you replace the air filters. If you cannot do this on your own, you may want to consider hiring an expert HVAC technician to lend you a hand.

New filters will prevent allergens, dust, pollen, airborne pathogens and many other types of impurities from getting into the air supply system of your house.

2. Inspect the Ductwork

Be sure to check the ductwork as well as the entire air delivery system of the building before summer. Watch out for leaks, obstructions and debris in the ductwork. You may want to inspect joints, because that's where most leaks occur. If you find any leak, you can use silver-aluminium foil tape instead of traditional duct tape.

The latter usually breaks down easily over time. If you notice any sign of mold growing in the ductwork, you may want to get in touch with a reputable duct-cleaning company and hire them to clean the whole system.

Mold can cause serious health problems, so you do not want them growing in your HVAC system.

3. Consider Installing a Programmable Thermostat

Studies have shown that a programmable thermostat can increase the efficiency of an air conditioning system. A setback thermostat is affordable, easy to install, and can help you save over $100 annually. This unit will ensure that the temperatures do not drop or increase beyond the desired room temperature thereby reducing energy wastage.

4. Get Rid of Debris From the Exterior Unit

To ensure unrestricted air-flow into the exterior unit, you must remove all obstructions and debris from the surrounding areas. Ideally, there should be at least 2 feet of free space around the outdoor unit.

5. Inspect the Condensate Removal System

A condensate is usually formed when warm air passes through the cooling coil. The condensate is usually removed in a number of ways, and this may vary from one manufacturer to another. For instance, the liquid may flow freely into a drain. It may also flow into a pan below the blower unit. Most pans are usually fitted with a float switch that turns on a pump responsible for draining the liquid.

Other systems may have a kill switch that shuts down the system when the pan is full to prevent the liquid from overflowing. Be sure to test these switches when preparing the air conditioning system for summer.

That's how to get your AC system ready for summer. If you need help with these tasks, you may want to consider hiring an AC expert to perform the necessary maintenance checks on your system for you.

http://www.theairconditionerguide.com