In Florida, our A/C gets very little time off. That’s why it’s important to perform a few maintenance and preventative steps when the weather starts to cool. After all, you want to make sure your A/C works when you need it most.
Get Your A/C Serviced
When the low 90s temps finally give way to the 70s, it’s time to get two very important systems checked. Schedule a professional to come out and check your furnace AND your A/C. This gives you peace-of-mind that your heating system will run efficiently this winter. It also ensures your A/C will be ready in a few months.
One of the reasons to have this work done now is because there’s less demand for A/C. If your system needs to be replaced it could be cheaper now than at the beginning of the spring or at the hottest part of the summer.
Plus, if you call a company that handles both heating and A/C (like Easy A/C), you’ll only have to schedule once.
Clean Around Your A/C
As the temps drop cuddly creatures (and not so cuddly ones) look for places to hunker down. If you have a lot of debris around your unit, it’s an invitation for them to seek shelter. Clear out all the twigs, grass clippings, bushes, branches, sticks and clutter within a two- to three-feet perimeter of your unit. If this seems odd, consider that animals are one of the main causes of damage to A/C units.
While you’re there, give it a quick hose off to remove bugs, lizards and other dead things that when left in the unit can cause clogs, which hold in damp materials, and ultimately lead to rust.
Change Your Filter
It’s just one of those maintenance items that’s easy to forget about, but your filter affects the efficiency and output of your unit.
If you are tired of changing your filter every month or so (when your system’s running) you can switch to a washable electrostatic filter. These filters install the same way the disposable kind do. Once a month just hose them down. No disposal. No costly replacement. Just years of use.
Give it a Top
If you are in an area with a lot of falling leaves, petals, or other natural substances that fall into your unit and rot there, consider fitting a piece of plywood as a topper to you’re A/C. While this is probably not necessary in most parts of Florida, homeowners who live in areas with a lot of plant molting can benefit from capping the unit when it’s not being used for extended periods of time.
While you can turn off the water line in your unit, it’s probably not necessary in Florida as we do have some warm winter days. However, if you live in an area that’s prone to frost and ice, it’s a good idea.
Keeping your A/C maintained is the key to your unit’s long life - and it takes only minutes to do.
If you’d like to ensure your A/C is in good operating order come spring, contact the A/C repair and heating professionals at Easy A/C today.