Now that the hottest part of summer is behind us, and we’ve officially entered the autumn season, many people in the northeast are beginning to make the switch from air conditioning to heat. Although it’s a great time to service and tune-up your heating system, it’s also a great time to service your air conditioning unit, too!
Although the hottest days are indeed behind us, we recently had temperatures in the 70’s on Christmas Day, demonstrating the likelihood for unseasonably warm temperatures well into winter. Our warm seasons seem to be getting warmer and lasting longer – which puts more of a strain on your air conditioning unit. So, when’s the best time for ac service?
Service Your Air Conditioning when it needs it most
After a long hot summer, the best time to service a tired and well-used unit is before you put it away for the year. If you winterize your lawn mower, weed trimmer, roto-tiller, or other summer equipment (which was used once a week or less) – it just makes sense to winterize the one piece of equipment that was used 24 hours a day for several months, your a/c!
Clean your Duct Work before Winter
One of the inherent traits of central air conditioning in your ducts is the presence of condensation. When cool air collides with warm air in your ductwork, very often the air becomes very humid, and often leaves traces of moisture in your duct work. This moisture is often an ideal breeding ground for molds and mildew to eventually buildup. Because of this, it’s very important to inspect and clean your ductwork before you switch over to heat for the winter.
If mold is present in your ducts, and you begin to push warmer air through the ducts, it may dry the mold, making it more likely to become airborne in your house as the blowers force it through the ducts. More and more people are susceptible to allergies to mold – so duct cleaning is important to properly clean and disinfect the ductwork prior to turning on the heat for the winter.
Ready When You Need it Most
If you service your air conditioning unit now will ensure that it will be ready to go on the first hot days we have next spring. Taking care of your equipment now is the best preventative measures you can take to be prepared for next season. Most importantly, a service call now to take care of both your heating and cooling system is less expensive in the long run of having us come out now and again in the spring. (And much less stressful than having to call us out for a 24/7 emergency visit because you need air conditioning repair immediately.)
