by S. Bates

Created on: May 27, 2008

Its 6 p.m., a very hot 96 degrees with the humidity at about 80%, and you just got home. Of course, the a/c in your car didn't quite have time to cool off before you got in the bumper to bumper traffic on the interstate, so you had to turn it off before the auto overheated. That's OK. At least you remembered to leave your home a/c turned down to about 65 degrees. You'll cool off once inside and you shed the sweat soaked clothes. Just getting the house key in the hole makes you sweat. Then it hits you right in the face! A blast of hot air that has started your head pounding. No air conditioning!

OK, I know this has happened to at least 75% of the population. Especially if you live in the south, you know what I'm talking about. How can you prevent this from happening again? There are no absolute guarantees it won't. No, you can't be completely safe from this aggravating situation. But you can help your heating and cooling system just by reading your owners manual. I know, who reads these things? We do, the ones' who have been in this same situation. Believe it or not, there are some good facts that you need to know to stay comfortable.

First and foremost: Learn how to operate your thermostat! I think about 10% do not know how to do this.

Second: Know where your filter is and replace it, or clean it, once a month, every 2 weeks if you have pets with hair. And I have to tell you heresome people don't even know they have filters for their units that must be cleaned or replaced some time. If this isn't done you will have a very expensive repair bill.

Third: Locate all the electrical breakers, inside and out, to all your pieces of equipment. Some systems have electric air filters, or cleaners, or humidifiers, even other electrical components that could cause the system to stop. Know where the breakers are and how to turn them back on.

There aren't that many parts of the system that a normal homeowner can deal with on the system. The first check point should be your thermostat. Be sure it is on, and the temperature is set at the correct temperature you want in the house. If this looks good, go to your filter and check it. If it looks like a rug, change it. If you're not sure, change it anyway. Now give it about 15 minutes, put your hand as close to a vent in one of the rooms, and see if any cool air is coming out.

OK, so that didn't work. Do you have any idea where the condensing unit is? It is usually somewhere along the back of the house, or on an end. Once you do find

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>