If you have recently noticed your air conditioner is taking longer to cool down the room in your home on days when it is extremely hot outside, you may be wondering if it is time to replace it with a brand new unit. One common mistake many homeowners make is replacing their air conditioner too soon because it does not seem to work as efficiently as it did when they first bought it. However, there are several things you should try to do before you decide to just throw the air conditioner out for good.
Check For Common Problems and Fix Them
Certain problems could keep your unit from running properly. Some of the most common problems that occur with air conditioning units include frozen coils and clogged filters. If you are dealing with these two problems, it may be easy for you to fix air conditioning unit. Consider removing the filters from inside the unit. You would need to remove the cover of the unit to get to the filters. Once you have removed them, simply rinse them under warm water until all the dirt and dust washes away. You may even want to replace the older filters with fresh new ones. If you are dealing with frozen coils, you may need to add some refrigerant to your unit. The refrigerant is what helps the air conditioner complete the cooling process by absorbing that warm air and blowing out the cooler air to get the room to feel comfortable. If you are dealing with several other problems that are not nearly as common, a professional may be able to perform the necessary repairs and fix the unit so that you do not have to buy a new one.
Make Sure Your Air Conditioner is Installed Properly
If you are installing the air conditioner on your own, make sure that you are doing it correctly. The air conditioning unit should be properly balanced on top of the windowsill. If it is leaning to one side, the water may not be able to leak out properly, thus causing a blockage that would keep the air conditioner from spreading cool air all around the home. Along with making sure it is balanced, you may need to screw the air conditioner into place to keep it from shifting down or leaning to one side or the other. Do not forget to close the panels completely and screw them in if necessary. If the panels are not closed all the way, the warm air from outside could easily make its way inside your home.
Weatherproof Your Windows
When you think of weatherproofing the windows, you may think more about the winter months when the temperature outside is freezing and you want to keep your home feeling warm. However, weatherproofing the windows is ideal for the summer months, too. Consider purchasing window tint film to place on the windows in your home. The tint is designed to reduce the amount of sunlight that shines right into the home. Although you would still be able to see through the glass, the sun would no longer shine through it as much. As a result, you would not have to deal with the extra heat that comes along with the bright sunlight.
Keep the Home a Bit Darker Than Usual
If there is a lot of sunlight coming in through the windows, you can naturally expect your home to feel warmer. Instead of leaving the blinds open and allowing that sunlight to come through all the way, consider using darkening shades to keep the room dark, cool, and comfortable. Keep lights off unless you absolutely need them.
When it is hot outside and your air conditioner does not seem to be working properly, it is easy to feel stressed out. You may assume that you have to purchase a new unit because the one you have is not doing that great of a job. However, it may just need to be cleaned out or repaired instead of replaced. Aside from cleaning and repairing the air conditioner, make sure it is installed properly, take the extra time to weatherproof the windows, and focus on keeping the home dark so that you can stay cool when it is hot outside.
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