Texas summers can get extraordinarily hot—and this summer we’re seeing some extreme 100°F+ days. You’ll rely on your air conditioning system for many hours a day to maintain comfortable and safe conditions for your family.
As your local HVAC Contractor in Houston, TX, we want you to enjoy a worry-free summer in your house, even through intense heat waves. We have our regular services to see that your AC receives the repair work it needs if it starts to encounter trouble. But we’d like to help you avoid trouble in the first place. Below, we’ll share some of our best tips for keeping extra strain off your AC. This will help prevent your air conditioning system from overheating and breaking down at the worst possible times.
If you forgot maintenance early this year, have it done now!
Without a doubt, the best way to keep an AC running reliably even in the worst heat is to have professionals maintain it before summer with a tune-up and inspection. If you had this done this year as part of our Safety and Efficiency Cool Club, you’re in good shape. If you didn’t, your AC is at a higher risk of breaking down. The good news is that it’s not too late to schedule maintenance. You don’t want to skip this service any year, and maintenance right now will give your AC the best help.
Raise the thermostat as high as your household finds comfortable
We understand the temptation to lower the thermostat down to a chill temperature when the outdoor weather is its hottest. You just want that wonderful cool oasis in your home. But these low thermostat temperatures will force your AC to do an enormous amount of work trying to pump heat out of the house—unnecessary work. We recommend you raise the thermostat to as high as you find comfortable during the day and keep it there. A setting of 78°F is a good target. Or even 80°F if you find it comfortable enough.
Clear and clean the condenser
The condenser is the outdoor cabinet of the AC where the unit exhausts the heat removed from the house. If it can’t effectively do this because the cabinet is obstructed or the condenser coil has dirt and grime on it, the AC will have extra heat trapped inside and will be in greater danger of overheating. Make sure the area around the condenser is clear for at least a foot on all sides. Wash down the cabinet using a hose on low pressure. If the coil is extremely dirty, you’ll need HVAC professionals to clean it.
Regularly change the air filter
The air filter for the AC will become rapidly dirty during the summer if the air conditioner runs often. The filter needs to be changed every one to three months to prevent it from obstructing airflow and putting heavy strain on the blower. Because of the current heat wave, we advise you to check on the filter monthly as a precaution—you may need to change the filter more often.
At AC Comfort, Your Comfort Is Our Business! Contact us when you need the best help to cool your home during the hot summers.