Ways To Reduce Summer AC Strain During A Heat Wave

Your air conditioner's job is to keep your home cool in the summer. Even on the hottest days, an air conditioner that is in good shape and is properly sized for your home should be able to keep up. However, working under really hot conditions does cause wear and tear on your AC unit. The more of this hot-condition work your AC unit does, the sooner it will wear out and need service. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to reduce the burden on your AC unit in the heat of summer.

Turn the thermostat up a degree or two.

There's no need to suffer away in a hot home when you have an air conditioner. However, if you can bear to turn the temperature in your home up even a degree or two, this means your AC unit won't have to work quite as hard. You may be surprised how comfortable you can be in a slightly warmer home on the hottest of days. For instance, if your home is 74 when it's 80 outside, a 76-degree home may feel just as comfortable when it's 96 outside!

Change your AC filter.

As AC filters get clogged with debris, your air conditioner has to work harder to push air through them. If you know there's hot weather on the horizon, try changing the AC filter before it arrives. Having a fresh, new filter to push air through during a heat spell will reduce strain on your AC unit. Keep a stack of fresh filters handy so you can change the filter out, when needed, during hot spells.

Open all of the vents.

If you have some of the vents in your home closed off, you may want to open them when it's extensively hot outside. Doing so reduces the resistance in your duct system, which makes it easier for your AC unit's blower unit to push air through those ducts. Additionally, make sure there is no furniture in front of your vents, and that none of them have been partially closed by accident.

Your air conditioner exists to keep your home cool, and it is going to suffer some wear and tear as it does this job. However, there's no need for it to suffer any extensive or additional wear and tear. Follow the tips above to make things easier on your air conditioner when the temperatures rise above average.

For more information, contact an air conditioning service in your area such as Metro Express Service.