Central Air Conditioner

by Don Ames

Central Air Conditioner

Save a Quarter, Have Your Air Conditioner serviced

Don Ames

It’s almost time to venture out to the barn and this time I won’t be wearing a sweat shirt and heavy coat. I like this time of year, I always look forward to shirt sleeves at the barn. The ground drys out, the mud subsides, the grass grows and the horses prove they like green grass better than oats and alfalfa.

The warming trend reminds me of a couple things we should be doing to get ready for saving energy as the weather warms up.

Have you ever tried:

  • to get a pair of snow skis repaired right after the first really good snow fall?
  • to get your lawn mower serviced just before you cut the grass for the first time?
  • to make reservations at a motel two days before the big show at the convention center?

If you have, you’re like me, having to face the fact that it would have been a whole lot better to plan ahead and get these things done before you need them.

OK, let’s talk about the air conditioners and Heating and Cooling contractors. The Contractors have been busy through the winter keeping the heaters going and now winter is over and there are very few heaters still needing those emergency heating calls. It’s not yet summer time, so the weather is not yet warm enough to have contractors making emergency cooling calls. Right now, at this time of year, I can just see a bunch of Heating and Cooling Contractors, sitting in the back of a shop somewhere, tossing quarters at a wall.

The Heating and Cooling Contractors maybe be having a little down time, looking for ways to keep busy. Your air conditioner will be at it’s most energy efficient if it is serviced once a year. What a great time to schedule that service right now. Do yourself and the contractor a favor – the contractor will have work and you will be ready for the hot weather.

Picture this – the temperature outside is 100 degrees and the temperature in your house is 110 degrees. You call the Heating Contractor and he tells you he can be there a week from Tuesday. He recommends you go to the store and purchase a fan. At this point, the temperature in your house rises to 112 degrees.

Some of the servicing and cleaning you can do yourself. You can clean the coils of the outdoor unit and you can access the inside heat exchanger and clean that also. Be sure and disconnect power to both the air conditioner and the furnace before starting the cleaning process. To check the level of coolant in the air conditioner, you will need a professional. The coolant needs to be at the correct level and pressure for the air conditioner to work at it’s best and this is where the Heating and Cooling contract earns his keep.

My first energy saving tip for today is to have your air conditioner serviced once a year. My second  energy saving tip for today is to call your favorite Heating and Cooling contractor now, before he has a chance to scuff up a bunch of quarters.

Thanks again for coming by Detect Energy, come back soon, but I won’t leave a light on for you…