Check if your AC works before the summer season hits
Since the weather is still fairly cool, you may not think that it is time to worry about AC just yet. This is precisely the time you should!
It is important to make sure that your AC is working well before the summer’s hot days are upon us.
As a homeowner, prepare your AC for the summer months by first testing it yourself. If you are lucky, your equipment may have weathered the winter just fine.
Follow the 4 steps below to check if your AC is ready for the summer.
1. Physical inspection
This involves physically looking at the AC equipment and clearing the dust, leaves and other debris around it. Clear out cobwebs and dirt from around it. You may also use your hose to give the equipment to clean the exterior of the AC. Check for any missing panels.
Change your air conditioner’s filter at the beginning of the season.
2. Turn system on
Before you turn the AC on, visually ensure that the electrical wiring is not damaged.
Turn the AC on. If it starts, hooray! If not, check to see if the equipment is plugged in!! The air conditioner’s plug could have gotten accidentally dislodged from the outlet.
Make sure all the the circuit breakers and fuses are in place and turned on.
Also, set the thermostat to ‘cool’ and make sure that the thermostat is working properly.
3. Check the ducts
Air conditioning ducts carry the cool air from the AC to all the rooms. Ducts are hidden from view. The way to check the ducts is to find out if the air is coming out of all the registers in the house. Initially the air may not be cool and that is ok. At this point, we are just checking to see if the air is coming out of all the registers in the house. If it is, then the ducts are working well.
If the air doesn’t come out the register with the same force as in the other registers, then we may have an issue with the ducts. Call your AC contractor.
4. Check the temperature
The last step is make sure that the AC is actually pushing cool air. You can use a regular meat thermometer for this.
After 30 minutes of running the AC, the temperature of the air being pushed at each of the registers should be 55 degrees. If it is not, then your AC may be low on freon or there may be some other issue with the AC.
Summer days will be here soon enough. Make sure you are ready for them with a well-maintained and efficient air conditioning system.
RC Mechanical is an owner-operated Redwood City business and has served the Bay Area with heating and air conditioning expertise for over 20 years. Call us at (650) 575-3915 if you need any help getting your AC ready for the summer. Homeowners in Redwood City and throughout the Bay Area count on us for all their heating and air conditioning needs.