When you think of summer, vacation is likely one of the first things that come to mind. And if you’ve ever left your home for vacation for a significant period of time, you know you need to prepare your home. Doing things like checking your smoke detectors, setting your alarms, and disposing of perishable foods are always a good idea. But you might be forgetting some very important steps that have to do with your AC unit. Here are 4 tips to prepare your home – and your AC – for summer vacation.
Air conditioners remove the humidity from the air in your home and keep the temperature at a comfortable level. But while you’re away, there is no need to set the thermostat to what you usually have it on. Our best advice is to raise the temperature 5-10 degrees higher than you normally would. This not only saves you money on your electricity bill but saves you wear and tear on your unit, making it last even longer.
We recommend changing basic air filters every one to two months, and especially before leaving for vacation. Your unit will be running for a significant period of time and it will run much more efficiently if you change it beforehand. And as an added bonus, you won’t have to worry about changing it as soon as you return!
While your unit should be cleaned regularly, you should have it cleaned right before you leave. Again, this will help your unit run more smoothly and you won’t need to worry about cleaning it as soon as you’re back from vacation. Cleaning your unit will boost its efficiency while you’re away and will again, save you money on your electricity bill. It will also ensure there are no leaks or blockages in your system that could cause problems while you’re away. Which brings us to our final tip!
Another preventative tactic to keeping your unit in great condition is to conduct maintenance right before you leave. Have a professional come and take a look before you leave for vacation so you can be sure it will run properly while you’re away. And again, there’s nothing worse than returning from vacation only to find your AC unit is not working.
Have any questions about AC maintenance and cleaning? Contact the 6 & Fix team for more information.