Dallas-Fort Worth area summers require a lot of work from your air conditioner, and if you’re on the brink of needing a replacement but think you can eke another year or two out of your aging A/C, there are a few ways to help ensure your system operates as efficiently as possible toward the end of its operating life. 

Have Your A/C Maintained Each Spring

Aging air conditioners need an annual tune-up more than new ones, though it’s advisable for any system. It should include tasks such as tightening electrical connections and belts, measuring the refrigerant, cleaning the coils, and flushing the condensate drain. Air conditioners that are maintained annually experience fewer breakdowns, cool more effectively and efficiently, and help keep your energy bills in check.

Seal Air Leaks

When hot air enters the home and cold air escapes through leaky windows and doors, your air conditioner’s cooling load is increased, and it works harder to keep you comfortable. This can tax an aging A/C and cause more wear than is necessary. Use caulk and weatherstripping to seal air leaks around windows and doors. Caulk along baseboards, recessed lighting fixtures and service entrances as well, to keep as much cool air inside as possible.

Reduce Heat Gain

When the sun strikes your roof and windows, it heats up your rooms and makes your A/C work harder to compensate. Keep your window shades, blinds or curtains closed during the day. Additionally, because the attic can reach temperatures of 140 degrees, shoring up attic insulation to a depth of 15 inches will help combat solar heat gain to keep your whole house cooler. Use heat-generating appliances like the dishwasher and clothes dryer during cooler parts of the day. 

Use Ceiling Fans

While portable and ceiling fans don’t actually cool rooms, they make occupants feel cooler. Raise your thermostat three or four degrees and let your fans help keep you cool to further reduce the load on your air conditioner.

For more tips about getting another year of cooling out of you aging A/C, please contact us in the Allen, Frisco or McKinney area at Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating.