Derek Cole walks through nine AC maintenance steps before summer: inspect and clean the outdoor unit, replace air filters, check thermostat placement, seal ductwork, clean the condensate drain, and schedule a professional tune-up. Systems over 12 years old may need replacement planning.
Questions this episode answers
640
At least 2 ft around the unit
Monthly
Up to 30%
Over 12 years old
Chapters
Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole. Hey, everyone. Welcome back. This is Derek Cole with the Home and Life Comfort podcast. And welcome to episode 640. Today, we're diving into something very important for every homeowner. You need to do this before the summer hits. Hits Full swing. Your AC maintenance checklist. Look, North Carolina. North Carolina heat doesn't mess around, okay? The last thing you want is your air conditioner quitting on you when it's 95 degrees outside. So whether you've owned your home for years or this is your first summer, I'm walking you through the exact steps we recommend here at Simmons. One hour to keep your system reliable and efficient all summer long. So let's jump in, shall we? Number one, start outside, check the unit. So go take a look at the outdoor unit. Clear out any leaves, any weeds, debris. You need at least 2ft around the unit. So 2ft from where the unit is sitting, 2ft all the way around it to let it breathe properly. If you see bit fins or damaged, noted. Because airflow is critical. And that's something they make what they call thin combs. You can actually brush these dents out because airflow is critical, especially to the outdoor unit. Number two, clean the outside unit. Now, if you want to do this yourself, of course, I recommend a professional. But if you want to do it yourself, your Power the unit off at the breaker, then gently rinse it down with your garden hose. Gently, okay? Not full force, not heavy. Gently rinse it down. No pressure washer. You don't want to. Again, you don't want to bend the fins of the coil. You'll do more harm than good if the fins are bent. So gently rinse the outdoor unit to get rid of that dirt and debris. Number three, my favorite, the mvp. The MVP of your system, the air filter. That's one easy step. It's easy, but it's often skipped, overlooked. Check your air filter monthly. If it's dirty, replace it. Clean filter means better airflow, lower energy usage, and fewer allergens. Essentially, simple. It's something for sure you can do yourself to maintain your system. Number four, check your thermostat. Check your thermostat. Make sure it's reading the room temperature correctly. If not, recalibrate it. Or better yet, consider a smart thermostat. Let technology do the thinking for you. And when it comes to a thermostat, placement matters. You don't want direct sunlight or you don't want it near windows. You want it at a center centralized location, but it's Very critical. Check your thermostat. Make sure you're in the right mode. Believe it or not, we get these phone calls. We go to the house. No cooling. It's because it's sitting on heat and you're trying to get air. Make sure it's in the right mode. That's number four. Number five. Number five, inspect your ductwork. If your ducts are leaking, you could be losing up to 30, 30% of your air. And by the way, that's air that you're paying for. Okay? Up to 30% of your air. 95% of homes have duct work problems. Leaking problems. You're already spending this money and it's just going to the attic or going to the basement, going to the crawl space. Look, it's something very important. Look for obvious damage when you inspect your ductwork. Look for disconnected sections sealed up with mastic. But call us for a full inspection. If you see problems, call a professional. Number six, electrical safety check. Turn the power off. Then look for any signs of wear on the wires, loose connections. Electrical problems are no joke. If something looks off, don't guess, don't assume. Don't do that. Call a professional. Turn the power off. But if you see any signs of a problem, call a professional. Do not. This is not a diy do it yourself fix. If you're not an electrician, that is something you don't want to play with. So call a pro, but check your electrical. Turn power off. If you see anything that's a problem, call a professional. Number seven. Clean the condensate drain lines. This little pipe can cause so many problems. This little PVC pipe removes moisture from your system. If it gets clogged, you're looking at leaks, humidity, maybe even some type of growth, which we don't. We don't want to say the N word, but some type of growth is available. Could be happening because this is removing the moisture. Flush it out, vacuum it, whatever is needed, get it cleaned out. Be careful. Again, if you need to call a pro, call a pro. It's something you don't want to play with. You want the moisture in air conditioning, you're dehumidifying. As you air condition the air, right? As you condition the space, you're dehumidifying. Well, what's going to happen with that is removing water. Water is the byproduct. So you need a system to get the water out of the house into a safer spot. That's where your drain line comes in. If that gets clogged, you have water inside your home. Or inside your crawl space. That is not where you want to go. You want to go outside and get it away from the home. So clean the condensate drain line. Number eight, schedule a professional tune up. That's where we come in. That's where the pros come in with the capes on superheroes. Saves the day. There are things homeowners just can't do and shouldn't be doing, like checking refrigerant temperatures, chicken levels, deep cleaning the coils. A professional tune up gives you peace of mind. We've seen everything, guys. We have seen everything. We know what to look for. We do this how many times a day? I don't know, what, 30, maybe 30 times a day. You do this maybe once or twice a year. We do it 30 times per day. Okay. We are trained professionals. Get a professional tune up. And last number nine, we're going to finish here. If your system is over 12 years old, hate to tell you, it's time to start thinking long term. Newer systems are quieter, more efficient and covered with warranties. But don't wait until your system dies in mid July, middle of summer. Start planning now. If your System is over 12 years old, if your home is of age, that is the original system for the home. The home is now 20 years old. The unit is also 20 years old. So don't be shocked. Start thinking long term. Plan long term and you won't be caught on the hottest day of the year with no AC and a breakdown and having to replace that system. You don't want to do that. You don't want to get in line and wait. You want to plan ahead. Plan now. So that is your nine item checklist. Nine steps, one goal. Cool and comfortable, stress free summer. That is the goal. But if you need help or wants to handle it for you, visit simms1hour.com to schedule your tune up today. And hey, if you're not where, if you're not sure where to start, just comment summer on one of our social media posts about this podcast comment Summer and we'll send you the blog post with this checklist. Your friend in comfort and energy savings Derek Cole Home and life Comfort with Derek Cole.
