subject: How To Help Your Air Conditioner Cope During The Intense August Arizona Heat. [print this page] Anyone that lives in Arizona, knows that August is typically the hottest month of the year. This time of year, most of us are waiting for those hot temperatures to break. We look forward to cooler, pleasant days. In the meantime, we cope by staying indoors, drinking more water and limiting outdoor activities to the morning/evening hours, when the heat isn't as intense.
How does your air conditioning cope with the heat? What can we do to keep your air conditioner running efficiently? Here are a few tips that you can do to help your air conditioner get through the remaining dog days of summer.
Create a shade for the outdoor part of your air conditioning equipment. Direct sun will reduce the amount of heat that the air conditioning system circulates out of your home. Make a tent or shade cover for it. It should be tall enough so you can walk under it and that there is plenty of air movement around the air conditioning coils.
Air conditioners work by taking heat from the house and getting rid of it outside, which heats up the outdoor air which isn't fresh air. Air conditioning systems need plenty of fresh air. In order to give them fresh air, cut down any shrubs or plants that interfere with air movement around the units. Check for and remove any leaves or trash that may be blocking the airflow through the outdoor coils. A windblown newspaper caught on the air conditioning units will cut down the amount of heat that the coils can get rid of. It is important to keep your units free and clear of debris.
Water the outdoor part of the air conditioner. It is made to sit out in the rain so a little water will not hurt it.. Washing the coils will clean them and allow them work better. The water will evaporate which removes a tremendous amount of heat. That is a positive for you and your air conditioning unit.
Just a misting is enough to get water on the coils and start the evaporative cooling. The best time to do this is in the late afternoon when the units work their hardest. This will help keep your house cooler in the evening and help reduce your electric bill.
