With Memorial Day weekend slowly making its way into our tangible future here in Virginia, you might find yourself listing out ‘things to do’ to get your home ready for the summer. Outdoor furniture needs to be re- assembled, lawn tools need to be dusted off and geared up, pools need to be opened and cleaned, exterior faucets need to be turned on, and your central air conditioning system needs to be prepped for a season of hard work.
Having a local HVAC professional from the Staunton & Harrisonburg area come in to tune-up your air conditioning system before the cooling season begins is the number one way to prepare your equipment. With that said, there are some things that homeowners can do on their own to get their ac ready for summer.
Getting Your AC Ready:
- Clean around the exterior portion of your air conditioning unit. Over the fall and winter months, your outdoor condenser unit accumulates a lot of debris around it. Leaves, branches, dirt and other materials pile in around your unit, making it harder for the system to operate. Be sure to take the time to rake out the area, removing all of the waste so that your unit has room to breathe.
- Clear your interior air ducts. Before you start up your air conditioning system, make way for the air to flow to and from each room in your home. Move any furniture, rugs, toys, lamps or other décor that may be covering the ducts and preventing the air from freely flowing to and from your rooms.
- Reset your programmable thermostat. Your winter temperature settings no longer apply! Set your programmable thermostat to stay comfortably cool while being energy efficient. Most homeowners have a different comfort-point when setting their home’s temperature, but we always recommend setting the programmed temperature 10 degrees warmer at night and while you are at work. This will provide energy savings as well as savings on monthly utility bills. Learn about the benefits of a programmable thermostat for your home.
- Change your system’s filter. Your a/c system’s filter is usually changed as part of your annual tune- up, but be prepared to change it in a couple of months. We suggest marking your calendar for 60 days post tune-up as a reminder to change the filter. A clean filter allows the ac system to work more efficiently and also reduces the dust and other particles in the air within your home.
- Set your ceiling fans to run counter-clockwise. This will allow your home’s fans to push the cool air down, providing relief from high temperatures. (Be sure to switch them back to clockwise in the fall, which helps push the warm air down on cool days!)
As previously mentioned, your ac should be professionally tuned-up by a licensed and insured HVAC technician. This annual service provides you with safer, cooler, reliable, and more efficient air conditioning all spring and summer long.
Call the ac experts at Blue Mountain Plumbing, Heating and Cooling today: (540) 942-2700. We’ll schedule your annual air condoning tune up and help you get your ac ready for a season of summer fun!
