The Twin Cities cooling season is winding down, and your focus will move from your air conditioner to your furnace. But there’s still plenty of hot days to go before fall, and keeping your air conditioner humming problem-free for the last days of summer and those warm early fall days is a simple matter of some regular DIY maintenance.
Change Your Air Filter
The air filter in your air conditioner prevents dust from building up inside your unit and ensures optimum airflow to your system, both of which are essential for preventing common air conditioning problems, keeping your equipment operating efficiently and saving you money on cooling costs.
Check your air filter every month. When you can no longer see through it, replace it with a good-quality, clean filter. Avoid inexpensive flat filters, which trap only a small percentage of particles and do very little to improve your indoor air quality.
Keep It Clean
Maintaining the area around your indoor air handler/evaporator is also essential for keeping dust out of your air conditioner and the condensate pan. The latter can overflow and shut down your system if debris settles and blocks the drain.
Spray down your outdoor condensing unit each month to remove debris trapped in the metal fins, which can inhibit the exchange of heat and reduce system efficiency. Remove plant growth from around the unit, which can prevent proper airflow and make your system work harder to keep you comfortable.
Reduce Wear
Setting your thermostat too low in the summer considerably increases wear and tear on your system and increases your cooling costs. Set your thermostat to the highest comfortable setting for optimum performance, and consider installing a programmable thermostat to automatically control your cooling while you’re at home and away.
Keep obstructions away from your return and supply registers to maintain optimum airflow and ensure the highest level of comfort in your rooms.
For more expert advice about keeping your air conditioner in top shape for the rest of the summer, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning, helping to keep Twin Cities residents comfortable year-round.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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