With the rain this time of year it is sometimes hard to tell, but warmer weather is coming. With that comes mowing and weed eating and all those outside chores that we come to dread before summer is over. Of course, being able to go inside to a nice cool, comfortable home makes these chores more tolerable, but these same chores could be effecting your HVAC systems performance. I honestly never thought about it until doing research for other blog posts that it mattered and I came to the conclusion that I am probably not alone in this so here are some tips for having a well maintained yard and a cool, comfortable home all summer long.
Your outdoor unit needs space - 2-3 feet on all sides and 5 feet above to be exact- to allow proper airflow. Not just airflow, maintenance is an important part of keeping your system running optimally, so this also allows plenty of space for a technician to work on your equipment. So when planting or putting up fencing keep this in mind. Also, if there is grass around it, keep that trimmed as well.
Turn your system off before mowing. This will help prevent dust and debris being drawn into your system.
When mowing, blow the clippings away from your outdoor unit. These clippings can do damage to the coil fins and can build up inside potentially causing other issues.
NEVER sit anything on your outdoor unit.
After mowing or weed eating, rinse the outdoor unit with your water hose.
If there are trees near the outdoor unit, try to keep dead limbs cut back so that they don't damage the unit if they were to fall.
If you have to weed eat, take care to avoid the string hitting the outdoor unit, this can cause damage to the coil fins also.
Also, if you were like me and completely unaware of any of this and need some professional help getting that outdoor unit clean, give us a call. Professional, seasonal maintenance is also an important part of keeping your system running as effectively and efficiently as it was designed to do.
An important part of what we do is educate homeowners about their system, so if you have any questions about your system or how it operates, never hesitate to contact us. We are available 24/7!