Summers in Modesto, CA are hot and dry. If you’re new to the area, you can expect daytime temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Having a functional cooling system is essential. To help you ensure reliable and consistent AC performance, the following are eight HVAC tune-up and maintenance tips for the season.
1. Clean the Perimeter of Your AC Condenser
Air conditioners cool building interiors by extracting heat from warm indoor air and routing it outside. This heat is released via the outdoor condenser units.
All AC condensers should have no less than 24 inches of clearance on all sides at all times. Unfortunately, fast-growing grass, shrubs, and weeds can quickly encroach upon condensers and block their vents. Before turning your cooling system on, remove all overgrown greenery and loose, windblown debris. You should also make sure that everyone in your household knows that this component isn’t a resting spot for bicycles, skateboards, or other toys.
2. Schedule Annual AC Tune-Up Service
There’s a lot that you can do to keep your cooling system in good working order. However, many important maintenance tasks should only be handled by licensed HVAC technicians.
Scheduling annual tune-up service is the best way to:
- Optimize the efficiency of your cooling equipment
- Avoid dangerous mid-season breakdowns
- Protect your indoor air quality (IAQ)
- Extend the life span of your AC
Having professionals maintain your cooling equipment is also key to ensuring compliance with the terms of your AC manufacturer’s warranty. Skipping professional maintenance or attempting to tune your cooling system up on your own could result in frustrating claims delays or denials later on.
We perform annual AC tune-up services according to detailed and model-specific maintenance checklists. These checklists comply with all manufacturer requirements and include:
- Testing all electrical connections
- Measuring airflow
- Removing airflow obstructions
- Calibrating thermostats
- Checking AC refrigerant levels
We thoroughly clean evaporator and condenser coils, lubricate moving parts, and tighten loose bearings. We also replace all damaged and worn components and make necessary adjustments to fan motor speeds.
3. Schedule Roof Maintenance and Tree Care
In Modesto, the summer skies are clear and the air is relatively still. However, while they aren’t the norm, a few warm-weather thunderstorms do occur. Events like these can dislodge loose shingles and cause dirty, heavy gutters to detach. They can also wreak havoc on trees with dead, dying, or diseased limbs and branches. If you have trees or eaves that overhang your cooling system’s outdoor condenser, maintaining these features will protect it from jarring impact events.
4. Check for Closed HVAC Air Vents
In central cooling systems, manually closing HVAC air vents isn’t an effective or safe way to customize the delivery of cooled air throughout homes. Unfortunately, some people close HVAC air vents in their immediate areas when they feel too cold. Long-term vent closures place stress on air conditioners. With nowhere for unwanted air to go, vent closures create sudden and dramatic buildups of static pressure within HVAC air ducts. This inhibits airflow and could cause your air conditioner to ice over, short cycle, overheat, or shut down.
Make sure that all of the vents in your home are open. If you haven’t done so in a while, it’s also a good idea to schedule air balancing services. During air balancing, our technicians strategically adjust vent positions to optimize air delivery and minimize the risk of hot and cold spots.
5. Stock Up on HVAC Air Filters
Start every cooling season with a fresh HVAC air filter. Homeowners should inspect their air filters every 30 days and replace them every one to three months. Many mid-season cooling system breakdowns are the result of poor filter maintenance. To ensure that you have enough of these components to see you through the entire summer, purchase two to four filters and keep them on hand. This way, if local store shelves run empty, you’ll already have what you need.
6. Adjust Your Thermostat
According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the best thermostat setting for the summer months is 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This is low enough to maintain comfortable, healthy indoor conditions, but it isn’t so low that homeowners are using unnecessary energy. Choosing a modest thermostat setting is a great way to avoid overloading the grid and keep your energy bills at a manageable level.
If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, you can even raise your temperature setting during the nighttime hours by just two to three degrees. According to the DOE, slight thermostat adjustments before going to bed or leaving for work can shave up to 10% off your home energy bill. With ceiling fans and light pajamas, most residents will hardly know the difference.
Check Your Thermostat’s Location
When making seasonal thermostat adjustments, check the location of your thermostat. If your thermostat is too close to a heat-generating appliance such as your oven, it may have a hard time reading your indoor temperature accurately. If it sits directly across from a large window, direct sun exposure could prove problematic as well. We assess the viability of thermostat locations during annual tune-up services.
7. Clean Your Air Registers, Vents, and Grilles
Check your air registers, vents, and grilles for thick accumulations of blown-off filter debris. Heavy collections of this gray, lint-like material can obstruct airflow, cause undue cooling system stress, and leave you with a warm, muggy home. You can wipe these features down with a damp cloth. You can also remove visible buildups just behind them by taking off their covers and using your vacuum cleaner’s hose attachments.
Consider HVAC Air Duct Cleaning
If your HVAC air vents are extremely dirty, it might be time to have your ductwork cleaned. Unlike AC tune-up service, you don’t have to schedule duct cleaning annually. However, according to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), it’s best to schedule duct cleaning every two to three years.
8. Review Your HVAC Warranties and Other Protections
Get ready for the unexpected by making a quick review of your air conditioner’s warranty. Manufacturer warranties for these appliances typically include limited parts warranties that last between 5 and 10 years and compressor warranties that last up to 15 years. If your cooling equipment has aged out of its warranty, it might be time for a replacement.
You should also check your home insurance plan and your home service agreement or home warranty for any additional HVAC protections. This way, whether wear-related, weather-related, or the result of substandard manufacturing, if any mid-season breakdowns occur, you won’t have to pay out of pocket to resolve them.
Consider Investing in an HVAC Preventative Maintenance Plan
For further protection against mid-season breakdowns, consider investing in an HVAC preventative maintenance plan. In addition to covering the costs of pre-season AC tune-up service, this plan will give you priority scheduling for urgent repairs, discounts on parts and labor, and other high-value perks.
Proudly serving Modesto, CA and the surrounding cities since 2009, we offer expert heating and air conditioning services. We also provide whole-house fans, water heaters, duct sealing, and solar technologies. To find out about our preventative maintenance plan or schedule an AC tune-up, get in touch with us at Loves Air today.
