Summer Smarts: Prepare Your Home to Help Beat the Heat

Before you break out the tank tops and shorts, you’ll want to make sure your home is ready for rising temperatures, too

Do the proper repairs and maintenance now to ensure your home is ready for the summer heat. Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Getting your home ready for summer is about much more than reinstalling the window screens and putting out the patio furniture. Happily, it doesn’t take all that much effort or skill to get your house ready for the coming 90-plus-degree days.

If you haven’t done so already, turn on your air conditioning system. If there’s a problem, it’s better to find out sooner than later. Andrea Davis/Unsplash

Beneficial Breeze

One of the easiest things to do is to switch the direction of your ceiling fans. Clockwise rotation is used during cold months to direct the heat that rises to the ceiling, pushing it back down to warm the room. Counter-clockwise is used in the summer to provide a refreshing breeze and take some of the strain off your air conditioning system.

It must be noted here that fans cool people, not the room. So if you’re going to leave the room for more than a few minutes, turn it off. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting electricity rather than saving it.

Leaking Money

A tightly sealed house doesn’t just keep the cold out in winter; it also keeps the heat out in the summer. Walk around the house and inspect the windows and doors. Is the caulk still in good condition or has it cracked over the winter? Can you see any light coming through, indicating where weatherstripping needs to be replaced?

What about the attic opening? The attic hatch should have insulation—usually fiberglass—attached to the back. If you have an attic ladder, an attic ladder cover will insulate the opening while still allowing easy access.

Similarly, if you have a chimney, you may want to consider a chimney balloon that inflates and seals off the opening while the chimney isn’t in use.

One of the easiest things to do is to switch the direction of your ceiling fans. Byjeng/Shutterstock

Keep Your Cool

If you haven’t done so already, turn on your air conditioning system. If there’s a problem, it’s better to find out sooner than later. Sometimes there is a slight burning smell the first time you turn it on; not to worry, as it should soon dissipate. However, if it doesn’t go away, call a professional.

This is also the time to change out the air filter if you didn’t do it in the fall. Open the ceiling registers—aka vents, grilles—and close the floor registers to optimize the flow of cool air throughout the house. Dust or vacuum them or, if they need a more thorough cleaning, remove them and run them under water.

A proper airflow saves money. If you don’t have one already, you may consider a programmable thermostat to improve energy usage and counteract rising energy costs.

Clean the Machine

Safety is paramount when cleaning an air conditioner. Start by turning off any and all sources of power to the unit.

The process for the interior component is simpler, so we’ll start there. Open up the door over the evaporator coil. This may be sealed and held in place by screws or aluminum tape. Dust the coils with a soft brush. If they’re still dirty, use a no-rinse coil cleaner that is designed to drip into the unit’s drain pan, taking the dirt with it.

Next, clean the drain pan with soap and hot water. Pour a mix of 50/50 bleach and water down the drain to sanitize it. To lessen future algae growth, toss some AC drain tablets into the drain pan, then close the access panel. Now it’s time to go outside.

Inspect windows, doors, and any other openings for places where caulk or weatherstripping needs to be replaced.Greg McGill/Shutterstock

The Dirty Work

The exterior portion of the AC system is exposed to the elements and therefore requires a more thorough cleaning. Once again, make sure all power is off to the unit. Remove the screws and take off the top of the unit (along with the attached fan and grille). Do not disconnect any wires. There should be enough slack to set the top down against the side of the unit. Remove any debris. If there’s a lot, you may want to get out the wet/dry shop vacuum.

Now it’s time to clean the coils and fins. The cleaner you’ll be using here—available at any home improvement store—is extremely caustic and can cause burns, so wear proper safety gear. The fumes are also dangerous, so don’t be tempted to save money and use it inside. Mix the solution according to directions and apply with a pump sprayer. Spray it on, let it sit, then hose it off. It’s that simple.

Do not use a pressure washer, as it will damage the delicate fins. If the fins are bent, get a fin tool to “comb” them back into place. Replace the top and you should be good for another year.

Win-Win Updates

Stay cool without sending your electric bill skyrocketing with these additional design-friendly tips.

The Ugly AC

You may be tempted to hide an unsightly air conditioning unit with plants, but keep them a minimum of 2 to 3 feet away to allow for sufficient airflow. Alternatively, consider a lattice or trellis that shades the unit while allowing it to properly “breathe.”

Mother Nature’s Rules

A future shade tree planted on the south side of the house will provide more shade than one on the north. A southeastern site blocks the morning sun; a southwestern site takes care of the afternoon rays.

Reflecting the Heat

Nobel Prize-winning former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu wanted to paint every roof white. While it’s not practical in all situations, using an elastomeric roof coating on a flat roof can cause energy costs to drop significantly.