More heat is on the way…is your A/C unit ready?

For months, Environment Canada has been predicting a hot and humid summer, and so far, experts have been right.

Calls for air conditioner repairs have been up given all the use the units have gotten this year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting rest anytime soon.

Brandon Humphrey, Sales and Service Manager, Priority Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, said he’s seen an increase in calls this year, with technicians reporting some common problems.

He said if people see water around their furnace or the condenser, they likely have ice around the condenser coils caused by an airflow problem. The first thing to check is the furnace air filter.

“When that filter blocks the airflow from the furnace into that air conditioning coil, it’s not enough heat to keep the refrigerants from freezing the moisture in the air.”

He went on to say the ice accumulates on the coils, drastically reducing the unit’s ability to cool the air. Sometimes, stopping it altogether.

Regularly changing the filter will help avoid this problem.

But Humphrey identified another potential spot where airflow could be restricted, the outside unit. He said dirt can accumulate in the fins on the exterior of the unit.

“A really easy way to take care of that is, just get your garden hose out, make sure the powers off and the breaker is off to the A/C, and give it a really, really good rinse making sure you’re not hitting any of the electrical components or blasting those fins too hard.” He said, adding, “A five, ten minute job can really, really, REALLY help the cooling of the A/C and also makes it a little better for your bills.”

Even with your A/C running at peak performance, some might notice it’s still a bit warm on the upper floors. Humphry had a couple of tips to help with that as well.

“Just dampen down the floor registers on the main floor, but not close them entirely. The reason I say that is, the same reason your filter needs to be clean, the A/C needs a certain amount of air running for it not to freeze up, and if you close too many of the registers off, it’ll cause the A/C to freeze.”

The other thing Humphrey suggests is keeping the furnace fan on to circulate all the time.

“The reason we suggest this is, when the A/C isn’t running, the air will stagnate again and the top floor with naturally, because heat rises, get a little bit warmer.”

He said by keeping the fan on, the air will circulate throughout the entire house and prevent the warmer air from pooling upstairs.

Humphrey recommends having everyone’s HVAC systems are regularly checked by a professional to help prevent any problems from popping up at the worst possible time.