AC Repair: 3 Tips To Keep Your Home Cool

AC repair is one of those unpleasant requirements that comes with owning a home. It can sometimes be messy, expensive, and the repairman rarely makes it out to your house when it is convenient for you. Of course, if you don’t have a working unit, your choices are fairly limited. Pay up, or swelter in the heat. And that really isn’t a choice at all. All systems will fail eventually, but there are some things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your system when it is working. Nothing you do will stave off problems forever, but the following three tips may ensure you can put it off for a while.

#1. Use Your System Often

Many people like to turn off their system when they go to work. They figure—why run the air when no one is going to be in the house? The logic seems to make sense until you realize that the bulk of energy a system uses is trying to cool down a hot house. And after you’ve left your home stuffed up and baking all day in the sun, your system is going to have to work three times as hard to get it down to a manageable temperature. This is why most AC repair experts recommend leaving your system on while you’re gone. You can set it to a higher temperature, of course, but you don’t want the system to have to work overtime just to get the place inhabitable when you come home.

#2. Get Regular Inspections

Too many people think that changing the air filter is all you have to do to keep your air conditioning system maintained. This, unfortunately, overlooks the fact that a unit loses efficiency every year it is in service. Some AC repair experts claim a 5% loss in energy efficiency every year. That means your unit is working that much harder to produce the same results. If you have your system maintained professionally once a year, you can avoid much of this efficiency loss. This will not only extend the life of your unit, but it will ensure that your electric bills don’t start to skyrocket.

#3. Learn Basic AC Repair

No, you don’t need to become a professional expert at fixing your air conditioning. But there are several minor repairs that even the most mechanically deficient homeowner can conquer if they have the information. In the age we live in, information is hardly in short supply. Take a day or two and learn how to troubleshoot your system. Buy some basic tools and be ready to make some adjustments, should they be needed. You could save yourself some valuable money and time in the future. Of course, if you have a big problem, calling out a professional repair service will always be the correct course of action.