Spring is here, which means that it is time to make sure that your air conditioner is ready for the summer!
Cool Down for Summer
When the first scorcher hits, you don’t want to switch on your thermostat only to find that it isn’t working. Unless you have a lot of ice cream stockpiled, it won’t be an enjoyable day.
During the long fall and winter season, your air conditioner is pelted with leaves, sticks, debris, rain, hail, and snow. Even the most well-built and perfectly installed air conditioners are vulnerable to these elements, especially in the Greater Toronto Area. Unless you regularly get your air conditioner tested, there is really no sure-fire way to know whether it is working come the summer.
Waiting until the warm weather hits will not only leave you in a sweaty, sticky, situation but also in an expensive one. Every year frantic homeowners pick up their phones and all call the same air conditioner repair companies. Demand skyrockets higher than available technicians, and prices rise.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do as a homeowner to prepare your HVAC system for spring. Here are a few things you can do to make sure that your air conditioner is working when the weather gets warm:
Be Safe
Before we get into the list, it is worth remembering that air conditioners are complex pieces of machinery that should only be worked on by those who have been trained to work on HVAC systems. Before starting, make sure you turn off the power to the condenser in the service panel. You should also have a disconnect box near the unit, be sure to switch this off as well. For extra safety, you can always switch off the breaker in your home as well.
Filters
One of the simplest and most effective things you can do is to simply clean or replace your filters. It is a great idea to do this in spring, or throughout the year whenever they get dusty. Our recommendation is to change it every 3 months, or if you have pets every 60 days.
Coils and Condenser Coils
While you don’t have to protect your unit by covering it at the end of every summer season, some people do so in order to protect it from debris and water damage. Not everyone takes this step, and unfortunately, even if you do, you may still need to clean out the coil and condenser in the spring.
To clean the coils and condensers you’ll have to have proper training, materials, and equipment which is not usually found in an average household. This will bring us to the other point.
Regular maintenance can make a world of difference
A little bit of maintenance will go a long way. Even if your A/C is in working condition, inspection cleaning, and preventative maintenance it can make it more energy efficient, and these days we are all trying to save on hydro costs! Another benefit of such maintenance is that it can stop any major repairs from coming up. All manufacturers have added this maintenance to the list of the requirements of a valid warranty coverage.