As temperatures rise, some HVAC companies are seeing a rise in air conditioning repair calls.
Technicians with Mulligan Heating say their crews usually respond to about six service calls a day, but demand has spiked as heat and humidity climb.
Surpassing that number before one in the afternoon on Tuesday (June 30).
To help homeowners avoid breakdowns and keep systems from overworking, the company is sharing some simple steps people can take on their own.
Jason Mulligan, the owner of the company, shared some tips to keep your home cool and prevent the a/c unit from overworking: turn the furnace fan on, keep the doors closed, close the blinds, and change the filter.
He also said to keep your thermostat set to 76 degrees.
Mulligan added that people should also pay attention to a/c condenser. Like, clear the vegetation from around it.
“All this stuff growing up, these weeds, it gets into the unit and blocks all the airflow,” said Mulligan. “So you want to make sure you keep it nice. They recommend at least 12 to 18 inches around it.”
Mulligan also suggested using a garden hose to gently rinse the condenser exterior to remove anything that may have been sucked into the coils.
“A lot of times, cottonwoods, the grass clippings will get on that outside condenser, and it will cause that unit to just overheat and not work,” Mulligan said. “And then that causes failures.”
Technicians also advise customers to ask about the capacitor if their air conditioning suddenly stops working.
“This is pretty much the heart of the unit here; it’s going to start your unit up,” said Mulligan Heating technician Taylor Fath. “If this fails and you have no A/C and the unit does not start up at all whatsoever, 99 percent of the time this is the cause of that issue.”
With more hot days ahead, HVAC experts say a few minutes of preventive maintenance now could mean the difference between staying comfortable and waiting in line for an emergency service call.