As temperatures stay hot, keeping your house cool can be a challenge. Your BBB offers the following advice to keep your house cool and your air conditioner running properly.
When dealing with your air conditioner you can either hire someone to come inspect your system or you can do some of the maintenance work on your own.
If hiring someone, get at least three bids from companies. Also check to see if they are licensed with the state of Illinois at www.attorneygeneral.gov or 1-888-520-6680.
Once hired, make sure he or she checks the refrigerant, inspects the oil fans, and makes sure that wiring and switches are operating properly. Also, the outdoor coil in the unit should be chemically cleaned every year to ensure the unit is working efficiently.
If you are doing the maintenance work on your own, check the disposable filters (if you have them) every two months and replace them when necessary. You can also clean permanent filters as directed by the manufacturer and make cleaning duct outlets and registers a part of your regular housecleaning routine. Also make sure to leave the fan on the furnace continuously running. This will help keep air circulating and keep your house at an even temperature. If you live in a two story house and have high and low return air registers, make sure to close the bottom return and open the top return. This will pull the hot air off the ceiling to better cool your house. (Make sure to reverse the registers when you turn on your furnace.) You should also be sure to trim bushes and shrubs back 18” from the outdoor unit.
Having your unit inspected and cleaned every year will help increase your unit’s efficiency and cause fewer breakdowns.
For a list of BBB Accredited Heating & Air Conditioning Contractors in your service area, visit http://www.bbb.org/
If you have central air conditioning or a window air conditioning unit, you can cut your electric bills significantly, especially in very warm climates.
ReplyDeleteThanks for these summer air conditioning tips.
ReplyDelete