Are you ready?
Here are some quick tips for making the best of summer in Sacramento with your central air conditioning system.
- Check your filter(s)
- We know we sound like a broken record but it is imperative for a system to have a clean filter.
- Check your outdoor air conditioner
- Clear out any vines, bushes, or grasses from around the outdoor unit. Vines are especially invasive and can cause serious damage to your system.
- Replace your thermostat batteries
- If you have a smart thermostat connected to Wi-Fi, skip this step there are no batteries.
- Run your air conditioner before you plan on using it
- As soon as it is about 80-85 degrees outside go ahead and turn on your a/c just to make sure it turns on!
- Don’t set your thermostat temperature too low
- If it is hot out, turning the temperature down really low will not make it cool down faster. You can actually damage to the coil.
- If you feel the system isn’t performing to your expectations
- After the air conditioner has been running for about 20 minutes, take a thermometer and stick it in a vent where the air comes out. Then place the thermometer at the air intake. If the air coming out is at least 20 degrees cooler than the air pulling in, that is a standard “split” and the system is working correctly.
- Get a tune-up
- Leaves and debris from trees fall down into the outdoor air conditioner. Dog hair, dirt, pollen, cottonwood and more pull into the coils. This can obstruct the air flow and make the system work much harder than it needs to. Systems will overheat and fail. You can also clean your coil yourself following these tips, however we always recommend having one of our experienced technicians do a full tune-up on the complete HVAC system to make sure all components are running at maximum efficiency.
- Keep your home cooler during the day helps your system not work as hard by following these tips.
- Give us a call if you are experiencing problems
- If it is overnight or over the weekend – call and leave a message. All customers are called back in the order the messages have been received. Get in the queue early! Or you might luck out and get some troubleshooting help by phone when you least expect it. 916-481-0658
Want to print these tips and more to refer to while troubleshooting? Download our handy A/C Troubleshooting Tips Sheet (pdf).
