Its that time of year. As temperatures go up, so does our AC usage. Most AC units have been collecting dust over the winter and haven’t been switch on in months.
KLIN News spoke with Lead Technician for John Henry’s Plumbing Heating & Air, Wes Dalrymple. He shared his advice for homeowners turning on their AC for the first time this year.
“Make sure you’re double checking your filters downstairs, making sure they’re clean and ready to go for the summer. If you kind of know what you’re doing, you can check the drains just to make sure they’re draining properly and not leaking into the basement. You always want to check the outdoor unit, check for cotton, see if the outdoor conveyors are plugged up. You typically want to have those cleaned out every year.”
If your not particularly confident about doing some of these routine checks yourself, Dalrymple said professionals can gladly come out and help make sure your AC is tip top.
“It’s always good to have a service professional come out and take the doors off, wash all the coils out to make sure everything’s clean and breathe them properly. Make sure your capacitor and your fan motors run properly.”
Routine checks is something that’s easy to let slip your mind in our busy schedules. If its been a few years since you’ve had a check up on your AC unit. I could be time to have it checked out.
“There are people out there who haven’t had their system checked out in two, three, four, five, six years. [Their system is] plugged up and their capacitors are weak. When those are weak, they won’t kick on your fan motor or your compressor…We have a lot of capacitor issues during the summer months.”
To make the most of your AC usage, Dalrymple said “Turn off your humidifiers, make sure your windows are closed all the way. Make sure there’s a good filter in there…and do routine inspections as much as you possibly can.”