AUGUST LOVES: AIR CONDITIONING
As we muscle through these hot summer days, we reached out to Tersh at Tristar Air Conditioning to share some tips to help you extend the life of your air conditioning units.
TIP ONE Change your air filters every month! We know that the packaging on the filter that you just paid $35 for says it will last 90 days, but this is not true in many cases. A restricted air filter can result in coils freezing and increased humidity in your home. If your coils freeze up constantly then it can result in damage to the compressor. We tell people to change their filter every time their electric bill comes in the mail. The bill comes the same time each month, so this will help you to stay on top of changing your air filters every month.
TIP TWO Make sure nothing is blocking any of your supply or return registers. This tip has a lot to do with Tip #1. The reduced air flow from blocking these registers can result in coils freezing up. A frozen coil not only causes your home to heat up, but as it begins to defrost, the water could leak outside of the drain pan. If your ac unit is in the attic then this water would come through your ceiling resulting in major damage to your sheet rock ceiling.
TIP THREE Turn off the breaker to your air conditioning unit during a power outage. This time of year, we experience storms almost every afternoon, and often times these storms result in a short power outage. If you experience an outage, flip the breaker off to prevent a surge of power to the unit when the electricity comes back to your home. Sometimes the electricity will flicker a few times before actually staying on for good, and if the air conditioning unit tries to come on each time the power flickers, the surge could cause premature failures.