Caring for Your HVAC in the Summer | Teems Electric

Summer may not have set in yet officially, but in the South, we can experience hot weather pretty early. There is a good chance your air conditioning started working overtime last month, and it hasn’t had a lot of opportunities for a break yet.

Regular maintenance is critical for keeping your home or commercial space the exact temperature you want it to be, but there are some other ways you can give the appliance southerners love the most a little love of its own.

None of us want to go through a summer without some AC, after all!

Early Summer

During the early part of the season, the best thing you can do for your AC is get professional maintenance scheduled. Depending on the kind of unit you have, regular professional maintenance twice a year is ideal in order to make sure everything is running as it should be.

While one of our pros will do a deep dive into your unit and all of its parts, there are a few things you can do on your own to get an idea of what kind of condition your HVAC is in. The first time you switch from heat to air, there could be a dusty or musty odor for a short time. If this sticks around, you may have a bigger issue going on inside your ductwork. Check for excess moisture around the vents to make sure everything is staying dry, and make sure you show the technician.

Another way you can care for your HVAC unit is to visually inspect the equipment. Look for insulation on the wiring and pipes that may have worn out over the winter, and make sure connection points are all tight. Change your filter at the start of each season. This simple action can go a long way in keeping things running well.

Late Summer

If you have stayed cool all summer, it can be easy to forget about the HVAC. It’s doing the job you want it to, so it must not need any attention, right? While that may be the case as far as the temperature inside your home goes, there is still some prep work you should be doing in order to make sure you are ready to switch to heat, or to shut your unit down all together for the winter season.

Start by giving everything another visual check, but pay close attention to how moist areas around your HVAC are. With the humid summers we typically have, some moisture is to be expected. But as the season starts to wind down, you want to ensure that moisture has every opportunity to dry up so that mildew and mold can’t start to form. Empty the condensation pan located under the unit and check visual duct work for signs of aging.

Turn your heat on well before the cold sets in long term and let it run. This will help eliminate any odors from dust that has settled in your ducts, but it can also ensure your unit is working properly. As fall sets in, remember to change your air filter again. If you have units that are AC only, give them a good cleaning and consider putting a vinyl cover over them to prevent potential freezing in the winter.

We all love cool AC on a hot summer day. Give some of that love back to your unit and keep it running well all season long.

Have you scheduled your HVAC maintenance yet? Call us and get it on the calendar!