We had our first day of 100 degree temps in Dallas this week, and I came home to an 89 degree house and a malfunctioning air conditioning unit. I made the mistake of not being proactive and tuning up my AC before demanding it to operate at its capacity.
Luckily, it was not a major issue but something that could have been completely avoided if I had tuned it up prior to the sweltering heat. I'm not an AC expert, but thought it would be helpful to share a few tips that I learned from my recent AC repair visit.
1. I learned that my filter needs to be changed more often than the recommended once every three months. I live in an older house (originally built in 1940's) which means more dust is circulating through the filter system. Changing the filter is key because the filter had become so dirty that it had caused my AC unit to malfunction. Keep an eye on the filter and make sure you replace it often!
2. Clean your exterior vent and make sure nothing is blocking the filter. I've learned that the hose attachment on my Dyson does the trick.
3. If your AC is not working properly, check for ice first; the AC Evaporator coil may have iced over. If this is the case, shut your cooling off and turn on the heat, which will defrost the coil. A frozen coil can be caused by insufficient ventilation (a clogged filter!).
Here's to staying cool this summer!
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Many utilities have AC tune-up programs that may even offer an incentive for you to participate (because it makes your unit more energy efficient as well). Check with your electric utility!
One big thing that I've found many people I know forget when using the AC: twirl the blinds, close the shades, don't let the scorching sun through the windows which will just heat up the place and make the AC work harder and essentially slow the time the place is cooled down.
During the other day when it was 102F in MN, AC was a magical thing of modernity. Just saying. =)
Hi, @zimmerwoman!
Glad to see I'm not the only Minnesotan on here looking for ways to beat the heat. Honestly, 103F and a west-and-south facing apartment equals DEATH. I'm so thankful that I shut all of the shades before leaving for work, and had a batch of gnocchi waiting in the freezer for 3 minutes in boiling water. No need to have the stove on for any longer than that in that heat.
When did Dyson become the brand name to replace the word vacuum cleaner?
When it became more relevant that Hoover, I would suppose.
@zimmerwoman- yes! Here in Richmond, VA its 101F - HOT! My living room is a wall of floor to ceiling windows facing direct sun up on the 3rd floor of my building. It gets hot in there! On top of tuning up my AC in preparation for the scorching summer, I also purchased the light blocking thermal curtains. I just clipped them to the existing curtain rings and voila! Heat be gone! It’s a tad dark for my taste (I'm a girl who loves natural light) but my apartment stays cool which is the main thing!
Another recommendation I would make is to take advantage of the high heat and acclimate to a higher temp setting for your A/C. Down here in Tampa, I keep my A/C set to 77 and it feels really cool to me. If you are going from 100 to 75 inside, that 75 degrees will feel AWESOME. If you can adjust to a higher setting on your A/C, you will save a whole bunch of money.
I'd love a piece on portable AC units - I rent in an old building with windows that won't work with the traditional window unit. (Er, and technically AC isn't allowed.)
NYC and it hot, hot here. Learned the hard way to have units cleaned before it's 100 degrees. Also learned the hard way to avoid Air Wave for their services. Huge rip off. Others do the same thing for a lot less money and less aggravation.
And here I am in Moscow, ID. I had to wear a sweater and jacket at work all day.
I echo the thermal/light-blocking curtains idea. It has made a HUGE difference. I don't mind our bedrooms staying dark all day, and I don't even have to have the AC vents open in there! We are also in a condo where owners are responsible for their own window replacement, and we are SO glad we did that last fall.
I have a tip for people with window AC units. If you have water collecting under the AC on the inside of the window (the frame), the AC probably needs to be cleaned.
I couldn't afford professional cleaning this year, so I took the AC out of its casing and cleaned the bottom out. It was full of gunk, which was impeding the air flow and forcing water out the bottom. Then I took a steam iron and pointed it at the gunkiest areas: this dissolved the dirt, and I was able to clean those parts with paper towels.
Steam cleaning runs as much as $200 - $300 in NYC, so I saved a lot of money. The whole cleaning took less than an hour.