Updated: June 30, 2025
AC repair tips are essential once the hot and humid summer weather rolls in. While it’s great to enjoy hiking, cycling, farmers markets, and outdoor concerts, sometimes you just want to stay cool inside.
This time of year, we can experience extended periods of hot and humid weather. When temperatures reach 95 degrees outside your air conditioner is going to run about 22 to 23 hours each day. Now that’s a major workout! So, to ensure your air conditioner is working at peak performance and keeping you and your family cool on those sizzling summer nights, here are several tips to help avoid ac repair despair.
Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips
- First and foremost, change the air conditioner filter on your system every month. A dirty filter can restrict air flow into the system and decrease its efficiency.
- Trim any vegetation near your air conditioner unit. When it gets hot outside, plants and bushes can restrict air flow around the air conditioner unit making it work harder to keep you cool inside.
- Peek at the ac condenser coils. If they are dirty you should rinse the coils with water from a garden hose. If the dirt build-up between the coils is excessive, it's best to have a service technician clean the coils.
- Give your air conditioner a break by adjusting the thermostat up a degree or two. This can also help you save on energy costs without it causing you to be uncomfortable.
- Regular, preventive hvac maintenance on your home heating and cooling system is the best way to guarantee peak performance — and protect against potentially expensive issues down the road. A complete inspection by a trained service technician twice a year will give you peace of mind that your systems are running at optimal safety and efficiency.
AC Not Cooling? Before Calling a Technician, Here's What to Do!
Should your air conditioner stop working, check these items before calling your service technician, these quick AC repair tips might help you avoid a service call altogether:
- Check the HVAC breaker box, and see if the breaker is tripped. If you reset the breaker and it trips again, please contact your service technician as this is the sign of a larger issue with your system.
- Most furnaces have a light switch on or near the furnace. Sometimes we can accidentally switch the power off to the unit. Just flip the switch on, and you are back in business.
- Make sure your thermostat has a fresh set of batteries. Sometimes weak batteries can impact the performance of your thermostat.
If these simple AC repair tips don’t do the trick, then contact us today. Our service technicians are on call 24 hours a day.
You’ve heard the saying “heat rises” a thousand times. Turns out, it’s true. And it can affect how comfortable you are in your home. Watch this video for some tips on keeping the temperature consistent throughout your whole house — especially upstairs.
Head over to our Facebook page to watch the whole video.
Updated: June 30, 2025
Energy costs are rising right along with Iowa’s summer temperatures, making it more important than ever to learn how to save on electric bill in summer. Since you’re running your air conditioner day and night, you might dread reading that utility bill each month. Don’t give up on saving energy and money, though!
With these seven tips, you can keep your family cool and comfortable while keeping energy costs low.
1. Replace the furnace filter.
We really can’t say this enough. If your furnace filter is dirty or clogged, it will also affect your air conditioning. Even normal dust build-up can reduce airflow by one percent per week.
2. Use a programmable thermostat.
If you’re away from home all day, why waste that energy to cool the air in your empty house? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, homeowners can save up to 10 percent a year on cooling (and heating) expenses by turning the thermostat back seven to ten degrees for eight hours a day.
Note: We don’t recommend you set the thermostat back while you’re not home during periods of high humidity or extreme temperatures since your system will have to work too hard to catch up.
3. Set thermostat at 74-76 degrees.
We’re all guilty of setting our thermostats in the 68-72 range. When you set your thermostat just one degree warmer, you can save up to 2 percent on cooling costs.
4. Schedule an air conditioner tune-up.
We recommend annual maintenance to ensure your air conditioner is working at its best. A technician will clean and inspect the components and check any damages or safety hazards. If it’s not properly cleaned every year, your system could be losing up to 40 percent efficiency.
Regular AC maintenance and tune-ups are one of the most effective ways how to save on electric bill in summer while keeping your cooling system running smoothly.
5. Change direction of ceiling fans.
Make sure ceiling fans are rotating counter-clockwise to push the air down onto you.
6. Shade the air conditioning unit.
Direct sunlight on a window unit or the outdoor unit of a central air conditioning system adds to the workload of the equipment. Lend it a hand by keeping it shaded.
7. Close the curtains.
Keep window blinds and curtains, especially on the south and west sides of the house, closed during the day. Direct sunlight can add unintentional heat to your home.
If you follow this advice and are still struggling to manage cooling costs, upgrading to a more energy-efficient air conditioner and furnace system could be the key to how to save on electric bill in summer long term.
Have you been waiting to switch on your air conditioner? Here are a few things you must do before turning it on for the warmer months ahead. Head over to our Facebook page to watch the video.
Updated: July 19th 2022
Keep things moving
Generally speaking, fans, whether referring to furnace blowers or ceiling fans, keep air moving in the house. When air is stagnant or still, that’s known as stratification, and it doesn’t make for a very comfortable home. Fans keep the air from stratifying by pulling lighter, warmer air up and pushing cooler, heavier air down.
During the summer in Central Iowa, the upstairs of your home is going to be warmer than the main level and the basement will be cooler still. If you keep the thermostat fan function set to “ON”, the fan on your HVAC unit will run continuously, which helps regulate indoor temperature and humidity levels by keeping the air moving inside the home. This will hopefully help limit those temperature extremes on each level.
Evaporate discomfort with fans
It’s important to remember fans can’t lower the temperature of the air, so we view ceiling fans as a supplement to your air conditioning system rather than a standalone method of cooling.
Fans can help a person feel cooler, though, because moving air accelerates the rate at which perspiration evaporates from your skin. Your body naturally has moisture on your skin to keep you cool. If you have air blowing across you, you have evaporation — evaporation, in turn, helps you feel cooler even at higher temperatures.
When shopping for a fan for your home, look for fans with bigger blades — these will give you a gentler air movement and they will be quieter than fans with smaller blades. Fans with large blades can also run at a lower speed, which will require less energy. Ceiling fans don’t cost much to run, especially on low speeds. Just turn them on and let them run.
Run fan the correct way in summer and winter
A general rule of thumb is to run fans counter-clockwise during the summer at a higher speed and clockwise during the winter at a lower speed. The counter-clockwise motion forces cool air down, creating a wind-chill effect that will make you feel cooler. The clockwise movement pulls cool air up and pushes warm air down.
How to Choose the Right HVAC Unit Size
When we’re considering buying a vehicle, one of the first factors we consider is the gas mileage. The gas mileage, when it comes to both city and highway driving, is an indication of efficiency. Cars are much more efficient when cruising at a consistent speed on the highway as opposed to the stop-and-go of city driving. People are usually very concerned with the efficiency of their vehicle but often overlook the importance of selecting the right heating and cooling system to maximize efficiency.
To maximize efficiency, think about choosing a system that allows your AC to circulate air consistently. Like a car driving on the highway, you want to eliminate as much starting and stopping as possible. An AC system that’s properly sized to your home will constantly be running — not shifting between high-blast and not running at all.
Why Proper AC Sizing Matters for Comfort and Efficiency
Customers frequently ask us, “What size air conditioner do I need?” When it comes to choosing an air conditioner that’s going to make your home as comfortable as possible, it’s not always best to super-size the system. A unit that is too small for your home will be working too hard to reach your desired temperature, if it reaches that temperature at all. If it’s too big, however, the AC will begin a cycle between blasting cold air and shutting off completely. Like a car in the city, this is not an efficient way to operate.
An air conditioner also dehumidifies a house. If it is oversized, it won’t always be running, which means it isn’t dehumidifying. A humid house will feel much warmer than it really is. A system that is the right size will continuously run — keeping the humidity at the appropriate level.
An HVAC professional will help you determine a system that’s right for your home.
Consider Efficient Air Conditioner Technology
Air conditioners today are equipped with technology that makes it easier to keep your system operating efficiently. Variable capacity equipment, like the Carrier® Infinity® system, is a good example of that technology at work.
The Infinity system measures indoor temperature, indoor relative humidity, and outdoor temperature, and uses these measurements to adjust its operating capacity as needed. The system tracks how long it takes to reach the desired temperature in the house and adjusts the capacity of the unit to meet that requirement. Varying capacity results in lower humidity levels in the house which means people are more comfortable at a warmer temperature. Instead of 72 degrees, they may set it at 76, which saves money on cooling costs.
Imagine it’s the middle of August. There’s a streak of 90-degree days. Out of nowhere (or so it would appear), your air conditioning stops working. Not good. You’re left physically sweating while worrying about what’s wrong with your system.
Most likely, a professional will be able to fix your unit. There’s also a good chance routine maintenance could have prevented the breakdown. Ninety percent of calls we receive for breakdowns are due to lack of maintenance. Here are four things you can do to keep your system up and running.
1. Replace the furnace filter
The furnace and air conditioner work together to keep your home comfortable. The air conditioner coil sits on top of your furnace. In order to keep it clean, you need to replace your furnace filter regularly. Standard 1-inch disposable filters should be changed monthly while high efficiency filters can be changed less often.
2. Clear debris from outside AC unit
An air conditioner includes an inside and outside unit. The outside unit needs proper airflow in order to work correctly. A standard rule you can follow is providing three feet of space around the unit and five feet above the unit for necessary airflow. It’s also important to keep debris such as leaves and branches away from the outside unit. The unit can suck in dirt, pollen, etc., which can plug the coil. A plugged coil is the No. 1 reason for loss of air conditioning. Do not hose down or brush off the coils. This could actually damage the unit or push the dirt and debris farther into the unit — making matters worse. Leave this for the professionals.
3. Schedule professional maintenance
We recommend an annual tune-up to ensure your air conditioner is working safely and efficiently. A technician will clean and inspect the components to make sure there are no damages or safety hazards. If not properly cleaned every year, your system could be losing up to 40 percent efficiency. You could actually save the cost of maintenance —or more — in energy savings. Having annual maintenance performed on your HVAC system also helps extend the life of your air conditioner and furnace.
4. Set at 74 to 76 degrees
The higher you can set the thermostat, the better. Many of us are guilty of overworking our air conditioner by setting it at 72 degrees or colder. The main job of your air conditioning system is actually to dehumidify your home — not cool the air inside it. During periods of high humidity or extreme temperatures, we recommend you do not set the thermostat back while you are not home, because the system will lose control over the humidity and temperature. It then has to work harder when you return to reduce the humidity. Keeping your unit from overworking will reduce wear and tear and prolong its life.