10 Uncommon Tips for Keeping Your Home Cool with a Struggling AC System

Posted by Lance on April 7th, 2021

We went through a record-setting heat wave just recently in the US. Here in Atlanta, we set an all-time record of 106 F. Residence with properly-sized air conditioning system are sized for a temperature level of 92 ° F and probably didn't remain so cool. I'm sure numerous homes with air conditioning unit that appear to be significantly extra-large didn't stay cool enough either.

Every summer you can discover lots and great deals of tips on how to conserve energy and keep one's cool in your home: Use cooler clothes, utilize your ceiling fans, keep the sun out, go to a movie, get your ac system serviced, caulk your windows, and so on. I will point out a couple of common ideas in this short article, but I'm likewise going to go over some that you may never ever have seen in a post like this prior to.

Before we get into the real ideas, though, it may be handy to remember how the whole cooling thing works. Earlier this year, I heard an excellent expression on the radio: Your air conditioning unit is the faucet; the structure envelope of your home is the cup. If you have a leaky cup, your air conditioner has to work more difficult. If your Air Conditioning is currently doing all it can, you might require to have a look at your structure envelope. Likewise, to return to the metaphor, a leak in your water pipe might make it difficult to fill up the cup, even it's not leaking much.

Here are 3 questions to ask as you try to keep one's cool with an a/c unit that struggles on those truly hot days:

- What can I do to decrease the amount of heat getting in?

- What can I do to make my a/c more reliable?

- What else can I do to keep one's cool?

Let's dive into the tips now. I'm focusing here on existing houses. Whether it's a brand new house you just moved into or a hundred years old, the house is already there, so some style alternatives are off the table.

Tips for keeping heat out

1. Keep the sun out. Windows can be the biggest contributors to your heat gain. When the sun shines directly into the house, it usually brings a lot of heat, too, unless you have really good windows (with low solar heat gain coefficients). Solar screens on the exterior of the window are fantastic for keeping heat out. You may likewise think about some short-term shading for the east- and west-facing windows on those super hot days.

2. Seal the strange air leakages. The majority of the basic energy-saving suggestions informs you to caulk your windows and weatherstrip your doors. The problem with that is you're neglecting a few of the much larger leaks, like, state, crawl space vents that open into conditioned area or a hole in the cooking area ceiling that functions as a fridge vent. Take a look around in your attic, crawl area, or basement, and you'll find the worst transgressors.

3. Decrease the surface temperatures. Some parts of your home might be hotter than others. For example, you might have a bonus room that's seldom comfy. Attic kneewalls with ineffective insulation are often the perpetrator there. Get the insulation in the cavities and put sheathing on the attic side of the kneewalls.

Tips for assisting your air conditioning unit

4. Modification your filter. The majority of people let them get too unclean, and this is one of the most common factors for bad efficiency in air conditioners. A filthy filter includes resistance and decreases air circulation. Proceed and examine it now. I'll wait till you get back.

5. Enhance air flow. In addition to the air filter, your A/C may have other types of air circulation issues. If the evaporator coil is filthy, not sufficient air relocations across it and your house doesn't cool off in addition to it should. If the condenser coil is filthy, it won't discard sufficient heat to the outside. If your condenser coil is crowded with greenery or other obstacles, clear it out. You can trim the bushes yourself, however you need to probably call a pro to clean the coils.

6. Look for disconnected ducts. If your ducts are beyond the conditioned space in your house, check to see if anything has actually come loose. Repairing a supply duct that's sending out all its cool air to the attic or crawl area (as shown below) can have an immediate effect on your comfort. This problem is more typical than you may think.

Other tips for keeping one's cool

7. Use fans. OK, I understand this one's not unusual, but if your air conditioning unit is doing all it can but your home still isn't rather cool enough on those really hot days, moving the air over your skin may be just what you need to remain comfortable. Keep in mind, though, that fans don't cool the air; they cool you. Switch off ones that are in empty rooms due to the fact that they're utilizing energy and including more heat to your home. Required to purchase a brand-new ceiling fan? They now feature energy effectiveness labels revealing how energy effective they are.

8. Use a window air conditioning unit. If you have actually done everything above and your house is still annoyingly hot, setting up a window system AC might provide you simply enough extra cooling to help you make it through the heat wave. I know. I know. They're awful and noisy and might be against the rules where you live. They utilize more power, which contributes to the stress on the electricity grid, and might contribute more to global warming. Still, if you have actually got an energy efficient home with a right-sized ac system, this could be the finest way to deal with those heat waves when temperature levels go well above what your central air conditioning conditioner was created for. It's a much better solution than installing an extra-large system just so you have sufficient capacity to deal with the extreme heat occasions. A more pricey and irreversible alternative to the window unit would be a ductless mini-split heat pump.

9. Get a home energy evaluation. Trained home energy auditors can find the problems I listed above and more and recommend solutions. They likewise have devices to determine how leaky your ducts are, for example, in addition to the surface area temperatures of your floors, walls, and ceilings.

10. Turn off your power attic ventilators. If you have power attic ventilators in the attic, have them detached so they don't run. They might well be robbing cool air from your home.

If your air conditioning system repair business recommends changing your unit with a bigger one to deal with heat waves, beware. A/c do not dehumidify well if they do not have long term times, and keep in mind that heat waves don't last permanently and we don't have bad ones every year. ac installation toronto If your Air Conditioner can't keep up when it's hotter than regular outdoors, utilize the advice above to make it through. Your house will be more comfortable and efficient for it even when the temperatures go back to regular.