Keeping Your Air Conditioner Running Efficiently During 100° Heat
Summer often means triple-digit temperatures for weeks, and homeowners need reliable air conditioning to keep them and their family cool and comfortable.
Annual maintenance, smart operating practices, and choosing a trustworthy HVAC company can help Central Valley homeowners keep their systems running efficiently when they need them most.
Those are among the top recommendations from Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning, a multi-generational, family-owned company that has served Fresno and the Central Valley since the 1930s, delivering premium service and clear, honest solutions.
Biggest Homeowner Mistakes With Fresno Air Conditioning
The biggest mistake homeowners make is playing catch-up with a heatwave.
“People wait until it’s 105 degrees Fahrenheit outside and their house hits 80 before they try to crank the thermostat down to 70,” said Service Manager Joel Gatica, who has worked at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning for 26 years. “By then, the AC is already losing a brutal battle.”
Another pitfall: skipping annual air conditioner maintenance.
Homeowners who neglect maintenance see larger monthly energy bills, shorten their AC system’s lifespan, and could void their manufacturer’s warranty.
Tips and Tricks to Maintain Air-Conditioning Efficiency
When an AC system runs constantly but doesn’t cool the house, the usual suspects are low refrigerant, a clogged filter, or a condenser coil caked in Valley dust, Gatica said.
Homeowners should change their filter routinely, or switch to a larger media cabinet filter that doesn’t need frequent replacement.
Gently rinse the outdoor condenser coil with a garden hose before summer to improve air-conditioning efficiency and extend its lifespan.
Don’t close off vents in unused rooms to “save energy.” Doing so unbalances the AC system’s pressure, turns the closed room into an oven that radiates heat through the walls, and can destroy the compressor.
Gatica’s biggest tip: Pick a partner, not just a contractor, for air-conditioning needs.
“The families who invest in a relationship with a trusted local company through regular, preventative maintenance are always the ones who get prioritized and stay cool,” he said.
“Don’t wait for the breakdown to find out who you can trust.”
What a ‘Healthy’ Air Conditioner Can Do on a Hot Day
When the thermostat is set at 70 degrees but is “stuck” at 76, the AC system is “healthy.” A standard AC system is designed to maintain a temperature 25 to 30 degrees cooler than the outside air.
“If it’s 105 degrees out and your house is holding steady at 75, your system is actually winning a major battle,” Gatica said.
The AC system is struggling if the air coming out of the vents feels lukewarm or if the outdoor unit shuts off and turns back on every few minutes. When that happens, a component is overheating and tripping a safety switch.
Many homeowners are shocked to learn their air-conditioning system isn’t cooling well because the unit is too big for the house. An oversized system blasts cold air so fast that the thermostat shuts off too quickly and doesn’t pull heavy humidity from the air.
“You end up with a house that feels like a cold, clammy cave, and because the air didn’t circulate properly, you get massive hot spots in the back bedrooms,” Garcia said.
AC Repair vs. Air Conditioner Replacement
Homeowners need a Fresno HVAC company they can trust to tell them when to repair their AC or upgrade. Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning looks at the big picture of operational reliability, long-term value, and changing technology, and is honest with homeowners about their options, Gatica said.
“I often tell people to look at a major repair on a 12-year-old unit like putting a brand-new transmission into a car with 100,000 miles,” he said. “You might fix that one part, but the rest of the machine is still tired.”
An old AC system might be a “ticking time bomb” of inefficiency, and a homeowner would instantly add equity to a home by investing the cost of a repair toward a new system.
Trends in Central Valley Air Conditioning: What to Do and Not Do
Gatica said a current trend is the push toward heat pumps, which is not a smart upgrade for many homeowners, even those who have a solar system.
Heat pumps use electricity, and electricity rates in the Valley are among the country’s highest, he said. A homeowner who swaps a gas furnace for a heat pump without an oversized solar system will likely end up buying electricity and losing money.
“That’s why our conversations today are all about education,” Gatica said. “Homeowners want control, but true peace of mind only comes when you look at the actual math of the Central Valley, not just what sounds good on a blog post.”
Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning serves Fresno and Central Valley homeowners with the same focus it has maintained for decades: reliable service, honest recommendations, and comfort solutions built for the Valley. Contact them at (559) 255-1644 or via email at service@mrcool4ac.com, or book an appointment on their website to get your AC system serviced today.