There’s no way around it. Kansas City summers are hot.
The only reprieve from the suffocating, stifling temperatures is air conditioning. Thank you, Willis Carrier! But when the heat soars, your air conditioner may have a hard time keeping up.
The brains behind HVAC systems say that, when a unit is at optimal performance, it’s designed to handle 99% of the days of the year. That means about three days a year it gets too hot, even for a brand-new air conditioner to handle.
The thing is, most of us don’t have air conditioners fresh off the manufacturer’s belt. Those three days start to look like a few weeks when your system is just a couple years old. And, the few weeks it struggles is in the middle of the summer.
So, what can you do to help your air conditioner crush the hottest days of the year?
TIP 1: CHANGE YOUR FILTERS REGULARLY
We say this a lot. It’s not because we can’t think of anything else, it’s because it’s that important. There are several areas of your cooling system that are difficult, if not impossible to reach which makes them really hard to clean. When foreign substances and impurities enter your system, it affects the overall performance. Changing filters regularly helps keeps things cleaner longer.
TIP 2: KEEP IT CLEAN
Changing filters goes a long way toward keeping things clean, but there’s still a time and place for a good scrub. We call it a Clean & Check. That means getting into the cooling system, cleaning the parts and pieces, and checking that everything is in working order. Every year your system goes without proper maintenance it loses about 5% efficiency. Yikes!
TIP 3: CHECK DOOR’S & WINDOW’S SEALS
One of the biggest culprits working against your HVAC system is leaks. The leaks aren’t generally in the system, but in the space. Over time general aging can cause these openings to wear and create gaps. The gaps expedite the loss of cool air during the summer and warmth in the winter. The faster the temperature changes, the harder your system has to work. Make sure your doors and windows are sealed well.
TIP 4: CLOSE DOORS & WINDOWS
“In or out” or “You’re letting out bought air!” I’m willing to bet you’ve said that, or some version of it, to your kids in the last 24 hours. It’s okay, at some point we all start to sound like our parents. The important thing to remember is when we open doors or windows, we are actually letting out the air that has been cooled, which makes the space warmer, and the system have to run again.
TIP 5: VERIFY FAN DIRECTION
Most fans can change direction. It’s usually a small switch on the base of the light housing. The direction your fan turns either pulls air up or pushes it down. In summer, you want your fans to rotate counterclockwise to push air down, which creates a cool breeze. Changing your fan direction will help your space feel cooler for longer without placing additional demand on the air conditioner.
At Blue Heating and Cooling, we’re here to help you keep your space as comfortable as possible. If you are concerned about your system’s performance, contact us today.
