During the summer, your air conditioner is a vital tool to have. When it gets above 90 degrees in Minneapolis, MN, it’s common for people to either flock to the Mall of America to get out of the heat or head home so that they can cool off in their own convenience.
However, if you’re not either taking proper care of your A/C or calling for an air conditioning service that can help you take care of it, you aren’t going to have the option to head home for very long. Improper care of the HVAC is one of the biggest mistakes that home owners make, and when the bill comes due on a sweltering day, it’s a rather unpleasant feeling.
Fortunately, it’s not too late to learn what not to do with your A/C so that you don’t have to spend the summer finding the phone number of a trustworthy air conditioning service. Here are the mistakes you might be making with your air conditioner!
Extreme Temperatures
Sometimes, you can’t help setting your air conditioner for a much lower temperature than the outdoor air temperature. For example, in July, the record high temperature in Minneapolis, MN is 108 degrees. No doubt that kind of heat is enough for anyone to blast their A/C and worry about calling an air conditioning service later.
One great idea that can minimize how often you need to worry about repairs is planting a tree or placing an awning over your air conditioner. This can trick your A/C into thinking that it’s cooler than it really is, which can help you use a lot less energy to get your home down to the temperature that you find ideal. It can be a great way to keep your home comfortable without raising your electric bills or ruining your HVAC.
Constantly Running the Air Conditioner
Just like any appliance, the longer you run your air conditioner, the more likely it is to eventually wear down. Unfortunately, many homeowners forget to turn their air conditioner off during the day, which leads to their system cooling nothing except their furniture when they leave for work or school.
Obviously, if you have people or pets who will be in your home during the day, it’s worth the risk of running your system and dealing with the extra air conditioning service that comes as a result. But if your home will be empty, you should turn the system off before you leave for the office. If you’ve got a modern thermostat, you can even program your air conditioner to turn on a half-hour before you get home so that you enjoy cool air without running the system all day long.
Using a System That’s Too Small
Heating and cooling a home is not an easy job, which is why homeowners need to know how to find a reliable air conditioning service team in case the system goes out. But when you’re asking your air conditioner to try to cool a house that’s well beyond its capacity, you’re also making it much more likely that your air conditioner is going to prematurely expire.
This is more of a problem in homes that were recently remodeled, as many homeowners forget to expand their air conditioner when they expand the size of their home. If you’re planning to add another room to your house, you need to check with an air conditioning service expert and make sure that your current air conditioner can handle the extra work before you start to build. If it can’t, you need to get a new air conditioner on the job — because if you don’t, you’ll be buying one anyway eventually.
Skipping Proper Maintenance
One of the easiest ways for you to guarantee that you’re going to need air conditioning service at your Minneapolis, MN home sooner rather than later is to fail to perform basic maintenance tasks on your air conditioner. For example, if you own pets, you really need to be changing the air filter on your HVAC every three to six months, or at least checking the air filter to make sure that it’s not clogged with dust and dander.
When you fail to replace your air filter, you invite all of that dirt and other particles into your air conditioning system, which can ruin your air quality as well as your AC. When your air conditioning system gets dirty, not only does it cycle all of those particles into your home, but it also cycles particles into your air conditioner itself, which prevents the mechanical components from doing their job properly.
Unfortunately, when those parts can’t do their job well, your air conditioner has to work harder as a result — and that means you’re going to need air conditioning service much quicker than you otherwise would.
At Blue Ox Heating & Air, we’re always happy to help homeowners keep their homes at a comfortable temperature, no matter what season it is. We hope that you’ll take care of your HVAC, but if you’ve made a mistake that’s led to it becoming inoperable, we’re here to provide first-rate air conditioning service at your Minneapolis, MN home so that you can get back to enjoying your summer in comfort. When your home isn’t cooling down the way it should on a hot summer day, just give us a call!
