Replacing Sensors on Your HVAC System

Three Ways Spring Cleaning Impacts Your Air Conditioning Efficiency

28 March 2017 by Olivia Morris

With the hottest days of summer over, now is the perfect time to get a new air conditioning unit installed in your home. Not only is there a shorter wait to have the air conditioning installed, but you often can get a great sale bargain at this time of year. As someone frustrated that their old unit was not keeping the house cool during summer, once the new unit is in place there are three things you can do each spring to make sure the new air conditioner works well. So, make sure the following three items are on your spring cleaning list each year.

Laundry Room - Dryer Duct

Running lots of laundry through the dryer equates to a pile of lint building up in your dryer each year. You already know to remove the lint from the lint trap before each load to prevent the chance of a fire, but how often do you clean the lint out of the dryer duct at the back of the machine?

The dryer duct is an exhaust hose which removes heat from your machine, but it blocks up with excess lint. This duct needs cleaning annually so air can easily flow through it. A duct blocked with lint means your dryer needs to work harder to expel the heat. The harder your dryer works, the more heat it generates. This, in turn, means your air conditioning needs to work harder to reduce the heat being generated.

Pull your dryer away from the wall each spring, disconnect the dryer duct clips and vacuum the area where the duct meets the machine. This task reduces your dryer's energy consumption and keeps it running cooler.

Bathroom - Exhaust Fan

Bathroom exhaust fans work hard removing moisture and dust from the air in your bathroom. Just like dryer ducts, they are not efficient when the fan grill is blocked with dust and debris. Therefore, add the task of vacuuming the exhaust grill to your spring cleaning list. All you need to do is add the small brush attachment to the end of your vacuum hose, and the fan grill is clear of dirt in no time. Again, this chore will also impact on the amount of energy your home uses as the fan will no longer need to work as hard once air can easily flow past it.

Kitchen - Stove

Finally, while it is not a pleasant chore, cleaning your oven and range hood at least once per year is a must. A dirty oven is not efficient because it takes longer to cook food, and this means it is not energy efficient. Additionally, the longer your oven runs, the more heat it generates. A dirty range hood has the same issue as a blocked dryer duct and bathroom exhaust fan in that it must work harder to remove smells and fumes from your kitchen. Pull on the rubber gloves, spray the oven with oven cleaner, and get scrubbing.

By making sure you attend to these tasks each spring, your air conditioner can work at its optimum and keep your home cool.

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