Hot Weather Tips

The heat is ON !!!

With the 100+ degree weather forecasted for the next week or so, we wanted to remind you of ways you can help keep your house cool and your costs down.

1. Check your furnace filter and see if it needs to be changed or cleaned. Sound like a broken record ? It’s more important than ever to keep proper air flow during this hot weather so your system runs as efficiently as possible.

2. Keep bushes trimmed, grass and weeds cut back, etc… anything to keep air flowing around your air conditioning unit

3. Provide shade by keeping blinds/curtains closed, especially during the heat of the day. We all enjoy sunshine but keeping it from shining in to your home during this heat spell will help keep it cool and keep your air conditioner from working any harder than necessary.

4. Keep all of your vents open.  Keep the air moving in your house to keep it cool. Closing or blocking the vents can make your system freeze up and damage the unit.

5. Heat producing chores, like laundry and dishwashing, should be done early or late in the day not during the heat of the day.

6. It is not too late to get your air conditioner tune-up!  We have a long hot summer ahead of us, this is just the beginning!

7. Some technical stuff…. By manufacturer design, air conditioners in the St. Louis area are designed for 95° temperatures with a 20° drop. What does that mean? If it’s 90° outside, your system should be able to maintain your home at 70°. If it’s 95° outside, it should maintain 75°. The higher the outside temperature over 95°, the higher the temperature may be in your home. It would not be unusual when the outside temperature is 100° for your home to only be able to maintain 80°. What you want to watch is whether the temperature starts cooling down as the outside temperature cools down at night. If it doesn’t or if the temperature difference outside and inside your home is less than 20°, you need a service call. Every year when the temperature starts climbing to 100°,we get numerous calls from people concerned that their air conditioner is not working properly. Many times the problem is just that the air conditioner is doing everything it can possibly do to keep up with the heat load. That’s why it’s so important for you to pay attention to the above tips and do everything you can to try to keep the heat out of your house.

If you're having a problem or just are not sure, we're just a phone call away.  Heat is dangerous!  Take care of yourself and your neighbors!