Warm Weather?

by Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

The weather is changing quickly and that might mean going from using your furnace right into using your air conditioning. Preparing now for the coming summer season will ensure that your air conditioning system is ready for the hot weather ahead.

If you have installed a winter cover on your outside unit, it is time to remove it. You wouldn’t want to forget this step, as running the air conditioner with the cover on will damage your unit. Once the cover is off, check to make sure there is no physical damage from one of those large falling icicles or branches you might have experienced this past winter.

During the cooling season, you will want to keep weeds and tall grass from restricting the air flow through your unit. Keep all vegetation at least 12 inches away and cut back any bushes or trees so they are not growing above the unit discharge. Weed killer is a great way to control growth. You may also want to place small stones or river rock around your unit. This will prevent mud from splashing onto the unit during heavy rainfall. Also, if you have mulch around the unit, make sure the air conditioner is not buried in deep layers of mulch.

Apply a coat of car wax to refresh the air conditioner’s finish and help protect it from the harsh summer sun. Check and make sure the air conditioning breaker is turned on in your fuse box. If it was off, allow 24 hours before activating the air conditioner. Change or wash the filter in the furnace depending on which style you have.

Once the temperature is above 65 degrees, I would suggest trying your air conditioning system to see if it will turn on and that it blows cold air.  Allow it to run a couple of hours and then check around the furnace to make sure there are no signs of water. Doing this step now will allow you to call early for service rather than calling us on the first hot day when everyone else calls and our schedules are booked. Of course, sometime during the warm months, we highly recommend a checkup of the system by a professional service technician. Checkups include cleaning coils and debris from inside the unit, flushing the drain, checking out all the vital components, including refrigerant levels, and monitoring electrical systems. This will help keep operating costs down and extend the life of your system.

As always, give us a call if you have any questions. We are here for you.

Questions are always welcome. For free help with your heating/cooling system, ask the experts at broadviewheating@sbcglobal.net or call 440-526-7310.

Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

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Questions are always welcome. For free help with your heating/cooling system, ask the experts at broadviewheating@sbcglobal.net or call 440-526-7310.

Opinions and claims expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ScripType Publishing.