Tips on Summer Maintenance as Season Winds Down

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Your air conditioner is the appliance that makes living in the hot desert Southwest possible, so as the cooling season winds down, these summer maintenance tips can help preserve it. 

Central Cooling Systems

  • Check your air filter. Most of the homes in this region have forced-air HVAC equipment and the indoor aiTips on Summer Maintenance as Season Winds Downr handler also serves as the furnace blower. Whether cooling or heating, your system runs much more efficiently and more dependably if the air filter is clean. Whether it’s cooling or heating season, it’s a good idea to check it monthly and clean or change it when it’s dirty.
  • Clean the outdoor condenser. Over the summer, plenty of dust collects on the coils and fins in the outdoor condenser. Hose them off with a gentle spray of the hose and remove any weeds or leaves that have collected beside the condenser. If you have a heat pump, it will run more efficiently this winter if the coils are clean.
  • Tune it up. Having your heat pump tuned up by an HVAC pro will help you cool more efficiently until summer finally winds down and you need heating. Heat pumps perform double-duty year-round, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of maintenance.

Portable Cooling Systems

Wall and window air conditioners benefit from summer maintenance, just as much as central systems.

  • Pull the air filter for the unit and clean it so that it will run better the next time you turn it on.
  • Inspect the fins at the back of the A/C and clean them with a brush or hose. You can find fin brushes at home improvement centers to straighten any bent fins at the back of the unit. Bent fins slow the cooling process.
  • Take out window air conditioners for winter storage and close the window tightly. Winter winds can be strong and blow in cold, dusty air if the A/C doesn’t have a tight seal with the window.

If you need assistance with summer maintenance for your cooling systems, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration & Electric Company. We’ve provided trusted HVAC 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 maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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