Mike’s Tip: Time to Get Your A/C Ready
How Do You Get Your AC Ready for Summer
Here are some steps to get your AC ready for summer:
- Change the air filter: A dirty air filter can restrict airflow and reduce the efficiency of your AC system. Replace your air filter before the summer season begins.
- Clean the outdoor unit: Make sure the outdoor unit is free from dirt, debris, and vegetation that can obstruct the airflow. You can use a hose to wash away any dirt or debris gently.
- Check the refrigerant level: Low refrigerant levels can lead to reduced AC efficiency and higher energy bills. If you suspect the refrigerant level is low, call a professional to inspect and recharge the system.
- Check the thermostat: Make sure your thermostat is working correctly and set to a comfortable temperature. If your thermostat is old or outdated, consider upgrading to a smart thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature based on your preferences.
- Schedule a professional tune-up: An annual maintenance tune-up by a qualified HVAC technician can help ensure that your AC is running efficiently and identify any potential issues before they become significant problems.
Following these steps, you can help ensure your AC system is ready to keep you cool and comfortable throughout the summer.
We get the same calls from people who turn on the heating system every year, and nothing is hot. Only in May, “I turned my air conditioning, and it’s not blowing or blowing hot air, or it’s very low on pressure.”
Getting a pro to start your air conditioning and heating system at the beginning of every heating and cooling season avoids problems. This past winter has been especially tough on outdoor equipment. These ultra-low harmful temperature spikes and extended times below freezing can affect your home air conditioning system’s Spring startup. But with a few checks and a little effort, you can help to ensure a trouble-free summer cooling season. Call a pro at Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC at 201-343-1414
Spring HVAC Startup Checklist: Here are eight important things Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC techs check BEFORE switching the wall thermostat to cool.
First, we start with the outdoor unit:
1. We inspect the outdoor unit panels: These panels are designed to enclose the electrical connections and must be in place to help protect both you and the system. If you are missing a meeting (possibly due to wind) or if the panel is misaligned, this could cause potential risks for both you and the operation of the equipment. If the panel covering the electrical connections is missing, or out of place, you can rely on Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC to take care of it BEFORE starting your system.
2. Our qualified techs remove any condenser covers, coil blankets, or lids: If we find the outdoor coil covered to protect it during winter, we’ll remove the cover before starting the system. These covers protect and insulate the coil but also limit any heat transfer. Starting the system with any of these covers in place, even briefly, could severely damage your system. Many people forget to remove their covers every year, often resulting in significant repairs or even the replacement of the whole system.
3. We will inspect, repair or replace any damaged pipe insulation. The suction line (the larger copper pipe on the outdoor unit) helps to supply cool refrigerant back to the compressor in the outdoor unit. If the system’s suction pipe has damaged insulation, this could cause a loss of required cooling for the outdoor unit which could damage your system and may also cause you to lose energy. Damage to the foam insulation can be caused by sun rot, freezing water trapped in the foam, or winter animals looking for shelter or food. The insulation should be intact to maintain system cooling. If the insulation needs replacing, we do so before starting the unit. We ensure the insulation is correct for the pipe size (5/8, 3/4, 7/8, etc.). As with all our parts, we purchase ours from plumbing supply houses that exceed the quality of the kind you’d find in a home improvement center or a local hardware store :
4. Depending on where you live or what side of the house your system is located on, we will look for any debris that may have landed against the coil. The system coils are designed to transfer heat, and any debris limits this effect. Our technicians will remove this debris from the coil and surrounding area to get the best possible performance from your system. Also, don’t pack mulch around the unit’s base while mulching in the spring.
Next, we’ll move to inspect the indoor unit:
5. Change the air filters: We’ll replace indoor air filters. This winter has probably caused your furnace to run much more than previous winters. Your indoor air filter will likely have gathered a lot more debris and dust than normal, so we’ll automatically change the interior filter, sure the airflow is going in the correct direction.
6. We next check the coil drainage hose: This hose (usually plastic) can also be called the “condensate line”. Since the coil’s temperature is lower than the ambient air, water will condense on the coil and drip into the tray below. This condensate needs to flow to a drain or the tray will fill up and flood the unit or spill water into your basement. With the amount of time spent this past winter indoors due to the Nor’Easters affecting most of Bergen County, the line may have moved. We check to make sure the line is in the proper place, attached, and will drain to the appropriate location.
7. Clean the supply vents and return grills: We’ll ensure that both the supply and return air grills and vents are open and debris-free. Some houses have separate winter and summer supply grills or house zoning and some even have separate systems – one for heating and one for cooling. If you have a system like this, you might have put extra plastic material over the AC vents to prevent drafts during the cold winter months. If so, it is important to remove these before you turn on the AC or you will not have proper airflow back through the system, which could cause severe damage. In general, cleaning all grills at the beginning of every season is a part of our complete startup.
8. Turn it on and ensure it works: Wait for a nice, hot day when you have some time to check the air from the indoor vents for the first few minutes after starting it and then every few hours throughout the day. After the first few minutes, you should feel cool air from the registers. If no air is coming out, or if the air coming out does not feel cool, then something is wrong, and you should immediately turn the system off at the thermostat. Contact Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC immediately. we’ll do an in-depth inspection and diagnose the problem that likely didn’t present during our startup inspection. Remember to turn it off. Leaving the system turned on when it’s not running properly can do much expensive damage.
In summary, a brief inspection of your system now could help keep your system running worry-free through the heat of the summer and fall and is especially important for older systems. While performing this general inspection, take note of the overall system health to assess the likelihood of a problem. Whether your system is old or new, it can endure a particularly harsh season. A qualified technician from Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC is trained to do a more thorough spring technical inspection to avoid a system failure in the hottest months of the year. Summer is just around the corner, and no one knows your house better than you. If air conditioning is necessary due to your lifestyle or location, get a professional’s opinion before time runs out.
Our Final Checklist:
Outdoor Inspection:
1. Inspect outdoor unit panels – make sure they are all in place
2. Remove any unit covers or coil blankets from the outdoor unit
3. Repair or replace damaged or missing pipe insulation
4. Remove any leaves or debris from the outdoor unit coils
Indoor Inspection:
5. Change the indoor air filters
6. Check the indoor drainage hose
7. Clean the supply vents and air return grills
8. Make sure your system works properly on startup and throughout the first day (and turn it off immediately if it is not working!)
Please don’t wait for July or even June. Now is the time to run our complete tests and replace parts that need replacing. Get it scheduled by calling Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC at 201-343-1414
About Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC
Exclusively Serving Bergen County, New Jersey
Michael Muccia is a Master Plumber and the owner and operator of Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC. Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC is a full-service Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) service company based in and serving Bergen County, NJ, since 1978. The Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC team of trained and certified service technicians offers various services, including general plumbing and heating maintenance, for residential and commercial clients.
Whatever your plumbing, heating, air conditioning, or ventilation needs are, it’s easier with Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC. We treat our customers, large and small, with the best service in the industry. We know you have a choice when considering an HVAC company, and no matter what we do for you, we treat it as the most crucial job in our history. Our experience proves that we know how to work efficiently, which keeps costs low, uses only the best components within budget, and stands behind the work we do.
Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC has locations in the following areas:
Hackensack | Hillside | Ramsey | Waldwick | Maywood | Tenafly
