How comfortable your home is going to be while it’s warm, hot, or humid depends greatly on having an air conditioning system that’s working properly. AC isn’t even optional in many places, where the air doesn’t cool down enough in a home at night for proper rest, and daytime heat can put anyone at risk of illness. Children, the frail, and the elderly can even be at risk of death, and humidity in the home can risk mold happening. Even if you need professional services to fix some issues, there are still AC repair tips and maintenance suggestions you can use on your own to help them out.
Know the brand, make, and model of your air conditioner system; if possible, keep all documentation about it in a convenient place. Having access to this before looking for repair people makes it possible to potentially contact the manufacturer, visit their advice website, talk to other owners on forums, or at least tell your HVAC technician the specific hardware you have. This will help them greatly in trying to figure out what’s going on.
Another thing you should do is checking your entire home before you AC repair Kissimmee, FL to come out and help you out. You might notice that some parts of your home are warmer than they should be, while others are cooler. Knowing this can help the AC repair contractor in Kissimmee diagnose problems faster, but you might also discover obvious issues that you can fix on your own. These could include dirty filters, blocked vents, or something wrong with the physical unit outside, such as obstructions or animal impediments.
If you still run your AC in the fall, be sure you clean it regularly outside when leaves start to fall. If the fan grill is covered with any leaves, it obstructs the airflow. That makes the machine work harder than it has to, breaking it down faster and shortening its lifespan. Even if it still runs, it will run up your utility bills.
Don’t run your AC if the outdoor temperatures are under 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Doing so can damage the outdoor condenser unit quite drastically, so make sure that you pay attention to the outdoor temperature as much as the indoor temperature. Even a warm day in spring or fall that leaves your home toasty inside might have temperatures drop under 60F at night faster than your home cools down. Consider instead opening one screen door and a window or two so you can get a draft going through to cool things down.
Have annual service performed on your AC unit to reduce the need for repairs. A good contractor will oil the necessary parts, check the coolant level, and look over the motor. You can even learn how to do some of this on your own.
A programmable thermostat is a great way to improve system efficiency. Lowering the temperature just a few degrees can reduce your utility bill by as much as 25 percent. Just make sure you never let your home get too warm, even when you’re not there, especially if pets live there. AC systems can’t cool homes down too much, too fast later. Many AC units can only reduce the temperature at home 15 to 20 degrees below what it is outside sometimes, so during a heat wave, your home might not be room temperature or anywhere close unless you keep it cool all the time.
You might not expect your air conditioner to be able to make ice, but it actually can sometimes. Drain lines can freeze, and the system itself can start freezing. These might look like plumbing leaks, but you can usually switch to a fan-only setting to give the system a chance to thaw. Still, if this happens frequently, you need to call professional AC repair Kissimmee, FL service.
Keeping a properly functioning air conditioner in your home is crucial to keeping everyone comfortable and healthy when the weather is muggy. While many issues or circumstances might mean you need professionals to come out and work on your system, using these AC repair tips and maintenance suggestions can help you help them. That means your system comes back up faster, and you hopefully save some money along the way.
