7 Summer Cooling Home Maintenance Tasks New Homeowners Should Know About
6/3/2022
The days are getting hotter and it’s time to switch from heating your home to cooling your home. With the switchover from heating to cooling, there are a few home maintenance tasks you should do as a new homeowner in order to optimize your cooling costs, the cleanliness of the cooled air in your home, and the humidity levels in your home.
1) Replace air filters
It’s important to replace your air filters a few times per year, especially when you switch from heating to cooling. Your air handler sucks in air via the return duct system, blows the air through your cooling system, and then blows the cooled air back into your house through your ducts. An air filter is usually located where the return duct and air handler meet. If you have a large home, you might have more than one HVAC system, which means you might have multiple air filters to replace. Check for filters at the air handler and in the returns throughout your home.
2) Clean and declutter air vents
In order to maintain proper air flow for your cool air in the summer, you’ll want to make sure your air vents and returns are clean and are not obstructed by furniture, rugs, or window coverings.
3) Place a hygrometer in your home
High humidity indoors during the summer can affect the health of your home - everything from mold growth to hardwood flooring damage. A hygrometer measures the moisture in the air and should be placed somewhere that you can easily read it daily. You’ll want to monitor the humidity level in your home and make sure it is kept below 60%. See the following task for how to reduce the humidity in your home when necessary.
4) Turn off your humidifier and turn on a dehumidifier
In the summer, it’s time to turn off your humidifier as it tends to be more humid in the summer months than in the winter months. If the air is especially humid and you see that your hygrometer is consistently showing over a 60% humidity level, then it’s time to turn on a dehumidifier in order to suck some of the water out of your air.
5) Inspect your air conditioning unit
You’ll want to clean the coils in your A/C unit if they are dirty and check the fins for damage.
6) Use ceiling fans
Turn the blades in your ceiling fans counter-clockwise in the summer so that air blows down. Turn on your ceiling fans when it is warm out instead of your A/C unit when it is warm out. When it’s hot out, you’ll want to have your A/C unit on and your fans to circulate the cool air.
7) Close your windows, shut your blinds, and keep interior doors open
You’ll want to close the blinds on your windows during the day so that the sun’s rays reflect off the blinds and don’t have a chance to warm up your home. You should also keep your windows closed to prevent humidity from entering your home. Keeping the doors inside your home open will help the cool air circulate.
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