10 Unusual Pointers for Keeping Cool with a Struggling Air Conditioning System

We went through a record-setting heat wave just recently in the US. Here in Atlanta, we set an all-time record of 106 F. Homes with properly-sized a/c are sized for a temperature of 92 ° F and probably didn't stay so cool. I'm sure many homes with air conditioning unit that seem significantly extra-large didn't remain cool enough either.

Every summertime you can find lots and lots of tips on how to save energy and keep cool in the house: Wear cooler clothing, utilize your ceiling fans, keep the sun out, go to a movie, get your a/c unit serviced, caulk your windows, and so on. I will discuss a few common suggestions in this short article, however I'm also going to talk about some that you may never have actually seen in an article like this before.

Prior to we get into the real suggestions, however, it might be handy to bear in mind how the entire cooling thing works. Earlier this year, I heard an excellent expression on the radio: Your a/c is the faucet; the building envelope of your home is the cup. If you have a leaking cup, your a/c needs to work harder. If your A/C is already doing all it can, you may need to take a look at your building envelope. Also, to go back to the metaphor, a leak in your water pipe might make it difficult to fill the cup, even it's not leaking much.

Here are 3 questions to ask as you try to keep cool with an a/c that has a hard time on those actually hot days:

- What can I do to minimize the amount of heat getting in?

- What can I do to make my air conditioning system more reliable?

- What else can I do to keep one's cool?

Let's dive into the suggestions now. I'm focusing here on existing houses. Whether it's a brand new house you just moved into or a a century old, the home is already there, so some style alternatives are off the table.

Tips for keeping heat out

1. Keep the sun out. Windows can be the largest factors to your heat gain. When the sun shines straight into your home, it usually brings a air conditioner toronto lot of heat, too, unless you have truly good windows (with low solar heat gain coefficients). Solar screens on the exterior of the window are terrific for keeping heat out. You might also think about some momentary shading for the east- and west-facing windows on those very hot days.

2. Seal the odd air leakages. The majority of the basic energy-saving recommendations tells you to caulk your windows and weatherstrip your doors. The issue with that is you're disregarding a few of the much larger leakages, like, state, crawl area vents that open into conditioned area or a hole in the kitchen area ceiling that functions as a refrigerator vent. Look around in your attic, crawl area, or basement, and you'll find the worst transgressors.

3. Reduce the surface temperature levels. Some parts of your home might be hotter than others. For instance, you might have a bonus room that's seldom comfortable. Attic kneewalls with inadequate insulation are often the perpetrator there. Get the insulation in the cavities and put sheathing on the attic side of the kneewalls.

Tips for assisting your air conditioning unit

4. Change your filter. The majority of people let them get too filthy, and this is among the most common factors for poor performance in ac system. A dirty filter includes resistance and minimizes air flow. Go ahead and check it now. I'll wait till you return.

5. Improve air flow. In addition to the air filter, your A/C may have other kinds of air circulation issues. If the evaporator coil is dirty, not sufficient air relocations throughout it and your house does not cool down in addition to it should. If the condenser coil is dirty, it will not dump enough heat to the outside. If your condenser coil is crowded with greenery or other obstacles, clear it out. You can trim the bushes yourself, but you must probably call a professional to clean the coils.

6. Search for disconnected ducts. If your ducts are beyond the conditioned area in your house, check to see if anything has come loose. Repairing a supply duct that's sending all its cool air to the attic or crawl space (as revealed listed below) can have an immediate impact on your comfort. This problem is more common than you might think.

Other tips for keeping one's cool

7. Usage fans. OK, I understand this one's not unusual, but if your air conditioning system is doing all it can but your home still isn't quite cool enough on those really hot days, moving the air over your skin may be just what you require to remain comfortable. Keep in mind, however, that fans don't cool the air; they cool you. Shut off ones that are in empty spaces due to the fact that they're using energy and including more heat to your home. Need to buy a brand-new ceiling fan? They now feature energy performance labels demonstrating how energy efficient they are.

8. Use a window air conditioning system. If you have actually done whatever above and your house is still uncomfortably hot, installing a window unit AC might give you just enough extra cooling to help you make it through the heat wave. I know. I understand. They're unsightly and noisy and may protest the rules where you live. They utilize more power, which adds to the stress on the electricity grid, and might contribute more to global warming. Still, if you have actually got an energy efficient home with a right-sized a/c, this could be the very best method to manage those heat waves when temperatures work out above what your central air conditioner was created for. It's a much better service than setting up an extra-large system so you have enough capacity to deal with the extreme heat occasions. A more expensive and irreversible alternative to the window unit would be a ductless mini-split heatpump.

9. Get a home energy assessment. Trained house energy auditors can find the problems I noted above and more and recommend services. They also have devices to measure how leaking your ducts are, for instance, in addition to the surface temperatures of your floorings, walls, and ceilings.

10. Shut off your power attic ventilators. If you have power attic ventilators in the attic, have them detached so they do not run. They may well be robbing cool air from your home.

If your ac system repair work company recommends changing your system with a larger one to handle heat waves, beware. Air conditioning unit do not dehumidify well if they do not have long term times, and bear in mind that heat waves don't last forever and we don't have bad ones every year. If your Air Conditioning can't maintain when it's hotter than normal outside, utilize the advice above to make it through. Your home will be more comfy and effective for it even when the temperatures return to typical.

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