If you’re heading out on vacation this summer, getting your A/C ready for your absence can protect both it and your home. Temperatures reach over 100 degrees F daily for months at a stretch here in Southwest Arizona, so it’s a good idea to leave your cooling system on, even if you don’t have pets or plants to protect.
Depending on your home’s airtightness, insulation levels and window efficiency, the heat gain indoors could be hard 
on its contents. Letting your cooling system run, even at higher temperatures, will reduce the heat that builds indoors. This will protect your valuables and is essential for any living plants or pets staying behind. The noise the outdoor condenser makes also will deter would-be intruders from entering your home.
Before you go:
- Check the air filter for the air handler and clean or change it if it’s dirty. Dirt on the filter slows airflow, which increases the amount of time the air conditioner has to run. This wears system parts and increases energy consumption.
- Have your HVAC professional service the system. He or she will go through the entire A/C, cleaning and adjusting parts and verifying that the airflow and refrigerant levels are where they should be. The technician will clean electrical components and apply nonconductive lubricant if necessary. Dirty electrical components drive up energy use because they don’t transfer energy as quickly. When the evaporator and condensing coils are clean, your system runs more efficiently.
- Give the name and phone number of your HVAC contractor to your house sitter in the event the system malfunctions. If a dust storm occurs in your absence, ask the house sitter to hose off the coils on the outdoor condenser if it doesn’t rain in your neighborhood. Dust covering the coils interferes with efficient cooling of the hot refrigerant inside the condenser coil.
If you’d like more information about preparing the A/C for your absence, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration & Electric Company. We’ve provided top-notch HVAC and electrical services for the Yuma area since 1952.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/C s and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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