Summer is less than a month away. It’s heating up outside and pretty soon you’ll be turning on your air conditioner to full blast. In order to be well prepared for high temperatures, here are 5 steps you can take to prepare your HVAC system for summer:

General HVAC Maintenance
Replace the filter. A dusty filter means your system works harder, cools less and costs more. When you do replace it, decide whether an inexpensive one you need to change every month is a better deal than one of those expensive anti-pollen, anti-cat dander, anti-everything filters you only need to change once every three months. Put a note on your refrigerator as a reminder.

Use a hose to wash away the dust, dead weeds, twigs and the general detritus that blew onto the outside condenser unit during those wild winter storms. Those clogged fins will cost you money.

Check that the duct outlets are open in the rooms you spend a lot of time in, and closed in rooms you don’t need to keep as cool. Why cool the guest bedroom, every day, if you only have guests eating you out of house and home at Thanksgiving?

Check the thermostat to make sure it cycles on and off according to the temperature setting.

Now Get Serious
There are some jobs you cannot do, so call in a professional. Let’s go through them, so you are clear about what you want the professionals to do. It is too easy to pick up the phone and call in the cheapest, fastest or nearest AC repair company. When you understand just enough to ask the right questions, you get the right professional.

The Thermostat
If it’s an older model, it may be dusty, or the internal wiring may be poor. Ask how they will clean and test it. Tell them how old it is, and see if they suggest replacing it with a programmable unit.

Test and Deep Clean
Your professional should test temperature differences at different locations, so ask what, where and why. They should check out and clean the air handler, the drain, and the drip tray. They should make sure your condenser is fully functional, and there is enough Freon, or a more modern coolant, to keep everything working efficiently.

Air Duct Cleaning
Older homes collect dust. Older AC ducts store it. Few things reduce efficiency and raise costs more than dirty ducts. Ask how they test for dust build-up, and how they will do the air duct cleaning if it’s needed. We don't do air duct cleaning, but we can put you in contact with our most trustworthy person. 

We hope you found these tips helpful. Contact McCoy's Heating & Air at 731-668-7492 if you have any questions.