We’re expected to tie or beat the record temperature for today. Our service techs are geared up for it, and ready to get out there and get your AC back online as quickly as possible! We’re expecting a high volume of service calls, so here are some common things to check before making your appointment:
1) Most air conditioners are designed to run 18-20 degrees below the outdoor temperature, and many manufacturers use 95 degrees as a baseline for full capacity. On a very hot day like today, your A/C may run non-stop trying to achieve the temperature that you set, and if that temperature is below 80-82 degrees, it may not be able to. Try to start your cooling system in the morning or the evening to prevent stress on the compressor and expect that it may take 8-10 hours for the system to sufficiently cool your home.
2) If your system is running but not blowing any cold air at all, check your indoor unit for signs of water. Also look for ice buildup around copper tubings going into the coil. If you see any (or if you’re not sure), give us a call and shut the system down until a technician arrives – they can’t work on a frozen coil until it thaws. As the coil thaws, you may get water on the floor so you may want to place towels around it to soak up the moisture and remove any valuables in the area.
3) To help your system cool your house, take advantage of these tips: block out as much sunlight as possible, and close & lock windows to prevent gaps that leak air. This will relieve stress on your unit. Use attic fans & ceiling fans to help circulate air. Lights & electronics produce heat, turn off unnecessary ones.
4) Do you have an energy saving device from your power company? On hot days like this, the device will most likely be activated at some point. PECO devices have a red/green light to let you know whether the box has been activated. When activated, your system will be shut down for 15 minutes at a time to help conserve power. PECO offers an email service to let customers know about planned windows of time where they will be activating the devices. Depending on the length of the window, your device may be cycled on and off more than once.
5) If you find yourself with a no cooling emergency, give us a call at 800-522-4884. If you have a non-emergency request, take advantage of our online scheduling feature! Our primary goal today is to take care of people with no AC. We will schedule non-emergency calls as we are able, but our main goal will be to concentrate on emergency requests.
Today’s post comes to you from contibuting bloggers Bill and Donna, our Residential Service and Customer Service managers.
*Updated 7/20/12 with additional information about the PECO power saver.
