TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Anyone with air conditioning is likely running it all day on Thursday. But if it's not working, there are a few things you can do before calling the experts.
These are things you might want to check out before we get another day as hot as Thursday. They are also simple fixes that can help keep your home cool.
"You've got to make sure that all your vents are free, not obstructed by any drapes or rugs or something you put over, so you want to have that air flow going throughout your system," said Tony Cellino, owner of Cellino Plumbing, Heating and Cooling.
Cellino Plumbing, Heating and Cooling is getting a lot of calls on Thursday about broken air conditioners and the fix could be quite easy.
"Seems like a simple thing, but you'd be surprised how many calls we go to where you've just got to change out the filter," Cellino said.
And that's something most people can do on their own.
"You should be able to see through it, this type. If it's clogged up, obviously you don't get the air flow, so you've got to remove it and replace it. On most filters, it tells you the direction of air flow, and on most homes, the air flow is going into the unit, so the air flow arrow should be pointed toward your furnace when you slide it in there," Cellino said.
You also need to make sure the condenser box outside is free of debris.
"You can take a garden hose and hose that down. Not a high pressure thing, you just want to rinse it clean. It's made to be outside, so it's OK if it gets wet," Cellino said.
And if your system is struggling in the heat, here's another trick. Use a sprinkler. Set it up to hit your condenser.
"Just turn it on, let it go. You know, when it's really hot out during the day, sun is beating on it or whatever, should be in a shaded area, but if it's not, little bit of water in there helps cool it down a little better," Cellino said.
If none of those options work, it might be an issue for the experts to fix like a clogged a-coil.
"If that gets clogged, because either A, you removed your filter and you didn't put one back, which people tend to do that. All the dog hair, cat hair, or whatever pets you may have, dander gets caught up in there, that's really hard to clean. Once that gets clogged up, you're not getting that air flow," Cellino said.
Another easy-to-fix problem you might overlook: your thermostat could just need a new battery.
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