5 Things you need to keep in mind when getting your air conditioner ready for summer:
So the snow is FINALLY gone! The weather is getting warmer… heck you can even go outside without a coat on for the first time in months! You’ve almost stopped using the furnace altogether and you’re opening the windows at every opportunity you can. Wow… I love this time of year.
Soon enough though we’ll be getting that super hot, sticky, uncomfortable heat of June and July and we’ll be closing our windows and opting for that good old trusty air conditioner.
Now that air conditioner’s been sitting outside in the cold, snow, ice, and misery all winter long… and chances are that you did little to your air conditioner the last time you turned it off in the fall… let alone stick a cover over top of it!
So what is involved in getting your air conditioner ready for summer?
1. Well the first thing is… remember to go outside and take the cover off. You’d be surprised how many people forget to do that…. an wind up damaging the air conditioner condenser.
2. Make sure your furnace filter is clean… Better yet replace you filter. You see, your furnace
blower fan is responsible for blowing air over an evaporator coil. That evaporator coil then removes the heat from the warm, humid air. If the filter is blocked… usually caked on with dust, dirt, and all the crap that ran through your duct work over the course of the winter, then you will restrict air flow and ultimately have little to no cooling at all. You may even start to build up ice over the coil. (The coil is located inside the ducting that is just above the furnace cabinet).
3. Be sure to check that there are no leaves, debris, among other things that are stuck to the air conditioner. Over the winter leaves, dirt, etc. will blow and often get stuck to the grilles, coils on the air conditioner.
4. Make sure that the breaker is turned on to your air conditioner. Every fall I go downstairs to 
my basement and flip the breaker (fuse) for my air conditioner just to be sure that it does not come on for any reason over the winter.
5. Over the course of the summer, grass grows, shrubs grow, trees and bushes grow and often those branches, leaves and foliage migrate toward the air conditioner. Be sure to trim any hedges, branches, etc. away from the air conditioner so that it can “breathe”. The air conditioner needs space around the perimeter (rule of thumb, leave at least 18″ around the air conditioner) so that it can actively remove heat.
An air conditioner is in fact a “heat pump” that removes heat from your house. If the air conditioner has leaves and foliage around the outside of it, it in essence creates a blanket and stops the air conditioner from working properly… and sometimes altogether.
Ever wondered why you can’t cool your second floor in the summer, but the basement is absolutely freezing? Click Here to find out why.
Or… Did you know that a 2 Stage air conditioner is not only more efficient but can remove humidity on moderately warm days far more effectively than a traditional single stage air conditioner? Click Here to find out how a 2 stage air conditioner works.