When the summer heat arrives, there's nothing worse than flipping on your air conditioning and finding out it doesn't work. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to avoid such a scenario and make sure your air conditioning works. Here's a look at why your air conditioning needs to work this summer.
About Your Air Conditioner
Whenever your air conditioner sits idle over the winter months, it collects debris, leaves, and whatever decides to blow into its outdoor casing. Given the circumstances, your air conditioner may need a bit of maintenance before its intended to run without a hitch. Try testing it out in the spring before the warm summer temperatures kicks in. The reason for this is due to the fact that if it doesn't work, you'll likely be sitting in the heat for a few days, and you'll likely be paying for service during peak season.
Some of the maintenance you can perform yourself, but if you don't feel comfortable doing so, you should call a professional before any troubles occur. Although a visit from an air conditioning professional will may seem expensive at first, you won't be causing any more problems to you conditioning unit. It will be more cost effective in the long run.
What You Can Do
There are a few things you can do on your own to make sure your air conditioning unit works in the summer. Such things you can to (and remain safe) are:
● Change Your Filter - Changing the filter of your air conditioning/furnace unit if it's too dirty. This is simple and should take little to no time/effort to perform.
● Clean The Condenser Coils - Before you perform this task, it's important to shut off the main power to your air conditioning unit. From here, you'll want to go outside to your air conditioning unit and remove debris from the outside casing. It's important to be gentle as you clean the coils, because bending them can cause serious damage to your unit. A refrigerator brush will help remove such debris without damaging your unit.
● Check Coolant Lines - If the coolant lines are frayed or exposed, wrap the lines with foam insulation. This will not only keep the lines intact, but cover any exposed wiring.
Considering the information above, there's still a few things you can do to make sure your air conditioner works this summer. If you think the problem is too large to take on, feel free to contact Steve's Plumbing & Heating. We’ll make sure your plumbing and heating issues keep the summer blues far and away.