Image source: unsplash.com

If your air conditioning is on the fritz again, you’re likely living in some uncomfortable conditions. This could either mean that your home is too hot or your home is too cold. You can’t possibly focus like this and it’s hard enough shedding layers or trying to bundle up to feel comfortable again, so you need solutions.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your A/C unit is working properly. You might not be an expert, but there is plenty that you can do to reclaim your home so you aren’t sweating buckets or shivering like crazy. If you don’t fix your A/C, you could be dealing with even more problems than just feeling uncomfortable due to the temperature.

The problems you might deal with include a rising energy bill and possible damage to the unit if it isn’t maintained, so here are 7 tips to help make sure that your A/C is working properly and efficiently.

 

1. Get a Professional Inspection of the Unit

The first step you should do is to call in the pro. The professional A/C installation and services will know exactly what’s wrong with it and be able to fix any problems you may be having. You can look at the info on billyaircon.com.sg/about-us/ to see what kind of things to look for in an A/C company, things that will indicate their level of service. You want a company that has plenty of experience and one that can operate when you need them if your unit breaks down suddenly. 

2. Clean Out Any Debris in the Fan

If you can, try to look at the fan of the unit. This is a huge component of your A/C and if there is any debris lodged in it, then it won’t be working at proper capacity. Things like clumps of leaves, tree branches or sticks, rocks, or even an animal could be stuck in there. Give it a good check so that you can see what’s wrong with it. If you can safely remove it, make sure that the unit is turned off and gently remove the debris. This could be a reason for it not working well.

3. Open Up Your Vents

Another problem that might be causing your unit to not work as expected is that your vents are blocked. This might not seem like an issue, and you might have closed certain vents around your home or apartment to keep the cold or heat from bothering you, but what happens is that it makes the unit try to work harder but the airflow isn’t optimal because there aren’t openings. Keep the vents open to make sure that the A/C isn’t struggling. If you really don’t want a room getting too hot or cold, try closing it slightly or redirecting the airflow.

4. Make Sure the Thermostat is Synced With the A/C

The issue might be that your thermostat and the A/C unit aren’t synced up. When this happens, the unit struggles to determine what the proper temperature is, so it fluctuates up and down trying to calibrate. This is a problem that you can easily fix by resetting the thermostat to sync it with the A/C system. You likely have the manual lying around which will help walk you through what you need to do. This is a really easy way to get your unit working efficiently again.

5. Look for Electrical Problems

If you decide to call in the specialists first, they might check for this right away, but you can do your due diligence by checking on your own. Look for any electrical problems that might be present. What you should be looking for are loose or broken connections, chewed wires, or anything that seems out of the ordinary. If you do find them, turn off the unit and call in the experts because it could be very dangerous to try and fix this problem on your own. You should also look for any kind of leaks as well from any coolant in the unit.

6. Don’t Overexert the System

As mentioned, you don’t want to close your vents because it will make the unit struggle to provide heat to the home. This makes the system work harder, but with no results. It may not shut off and keep going, which could damage it further and end up costing you plenty. Another good thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to be blasting frigidaire all the time because this will not be sustainable over time. If you have to, try to use smaller personal fans or use other ways to keep cool when it’s not too hot just so that you aren’t taxing the A/C unit. Likewise, keep windows closed to regulate the A/C unit output.

 

7. Keep the Thermostat Away from Hot Appliances

Heat-producing appliances near your thermostat may also be causing problems. If the thermostat is around an oven/stove, a water heater, or above an air vent, the changing temperatures will mess with the thermostat and cause the A/C unit to correct the temperature based on what the thermostat is picking up. This will result in the unit trying to provide excessive cold air constantly even if the home isn’t that hot. It’s only because it’s around hot appliances or heat-producing units that it will think that the temperature of the home is incorrect and make it work in ways that aren’t effective.

Your A/C is important to you. On a hot summer day, nothing feels better than getting home, kicking off your shoes, and plopping down on the couch with a nice cool breeze circulating through your home, so you can imagine how annoying it would be to come home and the A/C isn’t working. To ensure that it operates efficiently, use those 7 tips.