Hey there! Olive the dog here. Lately, I’ve been observing my humans from the cool comfort of my favorite air vent. As the hot summer days of June continue, I’ve noticed they have been taking some steps to ensure my spot stays cool all summer. It’s important to remember to do some preventative maintenance to ensure your A/C is running at peak efficiency. Here are my observations:
- Vent bathrooms, kitchens, toilets and laundry rooms directly outdoors. Use energy efficient and quiet fans.
- Avoid locating furnaces, air conditioners and ductwork in garages or other spaces where they can inadvertently draw contaminants into the house. You don’t want those dirty particles in the air you breathe!
- Properly vent fireplace, wood stoves and other hearth products; use tight doors and outdoor air intakes when possible.
- Vent clothes dryers and central vacuum cleaners directly outdoors.
- Store toxic or volatile compounds such as paints, solvents, cleaners and pesticides out of the occupiable space. That way, those toxic fumes stay away from you and your loved ones.
- Minimize or avoid unvented combustion sources such as candles, cigarettes, indoor barbecues, decorative combustion appliances, or vent-free heaters.
- Provide operable windows to accommodate unusual sources or high-polluting events, such as the use of home cleaning products, hobby activities, etc. Enjoy your craft making worry free!
- Use sealed-combustion, power-vented or condensing water heaters and furnaces. When natural-draft applications must be used, they should be tested for proper venting and should be located outside the occupiable space when possible.
- Put a good particle filter or air cleaner in your air handling system to keep dirt out of the air and off of your ductwork and heating and cooling components. Do this, and never worry about what might be lurking in your air.
- Distribute a minimum level of outdoor air throughout the home, using whole house mechanical ventilation.
By following these tips you can ensure that the air inside your home is as fresh as the summer breeze outside. Call my people at MK Russell and Abbott Heating and Air today, to schedule a checkup for your air conditioning system so you can enjoy the lovely summer weather from the cool comfort of home.