How to Prepare Your San Diego Home for Summer Heat
Inland San Diego County regularly runs ten to fifteen degrees hotter than the coast, as the National Weather Service office in San Diego records every year, and homes in El Cajon, Santee, Poway, Escondido and Ramona feel it. Here is what is actually worth doing before the first serious summer heat arrives, in the order we would do it.
Test the air conditioning before the summer heat
Run the system for half an hour in spring while nobody is desperate. You are listening for grinding or rattling, smelling for anything burnt, and checking that the air coming out is genuinely cold rather than just moving. A system that struggles in April will fail in July, and July is when every HVAC company in the county is booked out.
Change the filters
A blocked filter makes the whole system work harder, raises your bill and shortens the life of the unit. It is the cheapest maintenance there is and the most commonly skipped. Check them monthly through summer if you have pets.
Check airflow room by room
If one room never cools, the problem is usually a blocked or disconnected duct, a closed damper or furniture sitting over a vent, not the unit itself. Worth diagnosing before anyone suggests replacing equipment.
Put ceiling fans to work
Ceiling fans do not cool a room, they cool people, and that is enough to let you raise the thermostat by a few degrees without noticing. In inland homes this is one of the best returns on a small install. Make sure they are turning the right way for summer, which is counter-clockwise looking up.
Seal the easy gaps that let summer heat in
Weatherstripping on doors, sealing around window frames and closing gaps where pipes and cables enter the house all stop cooled air escaping. None of it is glamorous and all of it shows up on the bill.
Look at shade and window coverings
West-facing rooms take the worst of the afternoon sun. Blinds, external shade or reflective film will make more difference in those rooms than anything you do to the AC.
Do not forget the water heater
Summer is a good time to have it checked, partly because a failure is easier to live with when it is warm and partly because you are less likely to be doing it in an emergency.
Know what to hand over
Filters, fan direction, furniture and blinds are all yours. Refrigerant, electrical connections, duct repairs and anything inside the unit are not, both for safety and because that work has to meet code.
Need a hand with any of this?
ERB – Express Repair Buddy covers plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall and general repairs across San Diego County. Call (619) 206-2873 Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, or request a free estimate.
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