How to Prep Your AC for Summer

The pool towels are waiting and the grill is fired up, but is your home’s air conditioner ready for another Bloomington, MN, summer? Bloomington Heating & Air has five quick and easy tips to prep your air conditioner for another season of cooling.

Clear Debris From The Outdoor Unit

The outdoor unit of an air conditioner has one job — to discharge the heat from your home into the outside air. Leaves, trash, and weeds can collect on the sides of the unit, blocking air flow. If you use a cover to protect the unit through the winter months, remove it before turning the air conditioner on in the summer.

Check The Drain Line

Many people think an air conditioner cools by blowing cool air into an area, but it also removes humidity from the air, thus lowering the temperature. Water collected from the humidity drains out of your home through a metal pan at the bottom of the indoor unit and the condensate drain. The pan should be empty; if it’s not, this means there’s a clog in the drain line.

Make Sure Air Vents Are Open

Take a walk through the house and make sure all air vents and registers are clear, open, and unobstructed by curtains and furniture. Just like obstructed outdoor units, closed or blocked indoor vents force the air conditioner to work harder to compensate. This strains the system and raises utility bills.

Change The Air Filter

An air conditioner needs unobstructed air flow to work properly. When the air filter is dirty, airflow is restricted. The further it’s restricted, the more likely the unit will freeze up and stop working. Then you’ll need to call us for AC repairs in Bloomington.

Test The Thermostat

The thermostat is a common cause for most Bloomington AC repairs. On a day when you don’t need the heat, switch your home’s HVAC system to cool and test the thermostat at different cooling temperatures. If the thermostat matches the indoor temperature, you’re good to go for the cooling season. If not, give Bloomington Heating & Air a call, and our professional technicians will quickly correct the issue.

Odd Sounds

If you’ve had your air conditioner for any amount of time, you know the sounds it makes when it starts up and shuts down. Should these sounds change in pitch, frequency, or otherwise come across as odd, call an AC repair company such as Bloomington Heating & Air.

Uneven Cooling

If you know for certain that the air filter is clear, nothing is blocking the indoor air vents, and the outdoor unit is free of leaves and weeds, the issue is likely inside the unit. Our technicians are trained to quickly diagnose and repair any cause of uneven cooling.