The warm weather is just around the corner for the Cypress area, and it’s the perfect time to get your home ready. While it’s easy to flip the switch on your thermostat to start your air conditioner, your system needs to be ready to contend with heat and humidity. Use this checklist to make sure that your air conditioner is ready to reliably keep your home cool and comfortable this summer.

1. Check Your Air Filters

Your air filters are one of the most critical components for making your system run effectively. When neglected, they’ll restrict the air flowing into the system, reducing the comfort in your home and your system’s efficiency and increasing the strain and wear as it runs.

Most 1- and 2-inch filters need changing at least every 90 days. Depending on the style and your home’s air quality, they may need changing as often as every 30 days. If you haven’t done so recently, check your filters and replace them if it’s been more than 90 days or if you see dirt collected on the surface.

2. Check Your Home’s Vents

Your system must have adequate circulation to evenly cool your home and keep it comfortable. Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget this and cover or block vents, or close them in areas you don’t use, thinking it’ll help save money. Your home’s system depends on the right amount of air flowing from all supply vents and into all return vents to create circulation. Check each supply vent to make sure that it’s open and that it has at least 2 inches around and above it clear so that air can properly flow from it. Check each return vent as well, but they may need more clearance than your supply vents, depending on their size. Check with your technician during your next maintenance visit for the proper return vent clearance.

3. Clear the Area Around Your Condensing Unit

Your outside condensing unit is responsible for venting the heat your AC’s refrigerant absorbs from inside your home. However, this process also requires adequate airflow through the condensing coil.

A dirty coil, overgrown grass or weeds, and loose debris can all restrict the air flowing through your condensing unit. Check the unit to make sure that it has at least 2 feet around all sides of the unit clear and 5 feet above it. Trim back any vegetation that’s closer, and rinse the unit with water from your garden hose, without a nozzle, to get rid of built-up pollen and dirt.

4. Prepare Your Thermostat

You already know that you need to change the setting on your thermostat from heating to cooling to start your air conditioner. However, it needs a few other things to make sure that it’s ready to keep your home comfortable.

Start by replacing the batteries in the thermostat to make sure they have adequate charge. Next, check the temperature for the cool setting. While there, double-check your programs to make sure the temperatures and times reflect what you need for the summer rather than the winter. If your thermostat is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it to ensure the temperature sensors are still working properly.

5. Clean and Set Ceiling Fans

Your ceiling fans help make your space feel cooler, allowing you to stay comfortable with a slightly higher thermostat setting. However, you need to change the setting from how it runs over the winter. Turn the fan off and dust it to make sure that you don’t have a bunch of dust land on you when the blades start spinning in the opposite direction. Once you clean it, flip the switch on the fan body to change the direction that the fan spins. Over the summer, the blades should spin counterclockwise to push air down and provide a cooling effect.

6. Get Professional Maintenance

Finally, call to schedule your professional maintenance with the team at Air Depot. Professional maintenance includes cleaning deep in your system, testing its function, and tightening and tuning electrical connections, mounting hardware, and components like your blower motor. The goal of routine maintenance is keeping your system running efficiently, reducing your cooling costs and the wear on your system.

Whenever homeowners around Cypress need help keeping their homes comfortable, they call the heating and cooling experts at Air Depot. Our award-winning team provides heating and cooling maintenance, installation, and repair together with indoor air quality solutions. Call to schedule your AC maintenance appointment with one of our NATE-certified technicians today.

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