When you live in a sub tropical climate like we do here in Southwest Florida, you should prepare your HVAC for summer with some simple steps. You don’t want the extreme summer heat to show up before you know if your air conditioner is working well or has received maintenance to keep it running well.
Your cooling system needs a little extra TLC throughout the year when you have consistent hot temperatures for such long periods of time. Routine maintenance and preparing for transitions to different seasons, especially summer, are important to the life of your HVAC system.
How to Prepare Your HVAC for Summer
Here in SWFL, we use our air conditioners all year round. Since our winter months still consist of more warmer weather than cold weather, there’s no specific cooling season for us. That means your air conditioner unit works hard all the time and needs a regular HVAC tune-up, especially before summer when it’s time to kick up the air another notch or two.
Take These Steps to Prepare Your HVAC for Summer
1. Check and replace your AC filter if necessary.
A clogged filter not only affects your indoor air quality, it also decreases energy efficiency and makes your AC system work much harder to cool your home. A dirty filter does not allow air to pass through easily causing stress to the system. Air flows fairly easily through a clean filter and during hot temperatures when your AC unit is already working hard to cool your home you don’t want to make it work harder. A dirty filter will to apply additional stress that will shorten the lifetime of the unit and increase the need for more frequent costly repairs.
2. Clean debris around the outdoor unit
This is something to pay attention to year round, but it’s a good seasonal transition task to get in the habit of doing. Buildup of debris around the outside unit can cause a restriction of air flow and cause your unit to use more electricity.
3. Schedule an AC tune-up with a professional HVAC technician
Having your entire system checked out on a regular basis is very beneficial for the life of your AC unit. Your AC is a complex system with a lot of wiring and components that need regular maintenance in order to continue working efficiently. Some maintenance can be performed by the homeowner. There are, however, some tasks such as checking electrical connections and refrigerant levels are maintenance tasks best left to professionals for safety reasons, and sometimes for warranty requirements.
4. Clean air vents inside your home
Another good seasonal transition maintenance task to get in the habit of doing is cleaning the AC vents throughout your home. A lot of dust can accumulate around these vents. Use a soft brush or rag to wipe dust from the vents or a vacuum to clean even deeper for better indoor air quality.
Tips for Summer HVAC Unit Efficiency
Speaking of your AC unit working harder in the summer months, you might be wondering how to keep your AC as efficient as possible during this time. Efficiency helps you save on your energy bills all the time, but especially during those excessively hot months. Try these tips to keep your energy bill as low as possible.
1. Use a smart thermostat
A smart programmable thermostat allows you to schedule times for the temperature to be adjusted automatically. If you start cooling more first thing in the morning before the day gets to its hottest point, your AC won’t have to play catch up when the temperature starts to rise outside. When you leave your home for the day, set the temperature 7 to 10 degrees higher. The Department of Energy estimates you can save 10% on your energy bill when you do this regularly.
2. Keep blinds or curtains closed during the hottest part of the day.
What you can do when you leave your home for work is close those blinds or curtains. Keeping the hot sun from shining into your home will help your AC efficiently cool your home.
3. Change your filter every 30-90 days
We already mentioned changing your air filters, but it’s worth mentioning again that this needs to be a regular maintenance task. Try buying a whole box of filters at a time, that way you won’t put off changing the filter when it’s time.
Schedule your AC Tune-Up
Dolphin Cooling provides regular HVAC maintenance and repair in Fort Myers, Naples, Golden Gate, Estero, Bonita Springs, Vineyards, and Marco Island. We offer both regular maintenance plans and are happy to come out for a tune-up or repairs as needed. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a system maintenance check, don’t put it off any longer.
HVAC problems are more than an inconvenience in SWFL, especially when we’re quickly approaching summer days. Regular maintenance is what extends the life of your cooling system and saves you money with peak efficiency. Our licensed and trained technicians are experts and will have your HVAC equipment running efficiently and reliably for our hot summer months and beyond.
For more information or to schedule your appointment, contact us today.