Once summer arrives, you and the family are most likely excited about soaking up the sun and enjoying the great outdoors. But it’s a good idea to make sure that your indoor areas can be a welcome escape from the heat. From maintaining your A/C unit, to outfitting your windows and doors for the season, here are some key tips for keeping your home cool in the summer.
Check Your Doors and Windows
Making sure that cool air doesn’t escape your home is key to maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures. It’s a good idea to seal gaps around doors and windows, and add a draught guard to the bottom of doors so cool air doesn’t seep out from the bottom.
For windows, clean the window track and sill to ensure that windows fully close. If you see cracks around the window, seal them with caulk or weatherstripping.
Make Use of Curtains
Keeping your blinds closed (if you have them) or shutting your curtains can help to block heat from the sun’s rays outside to keep you cool indoors. Heavier and thicker than typical drapes or blinds, blackout curtains provide a barrier between you and the heat outside. Some blackout curtains also feature a reflective side that helps to redirect heat and sun away from the inside.
Maintain Your A/C Unit
Your A/C unit works best when it’s clean and well-maintained, so get in the habit of installing new air filters every few months. Clogged, dirty filters can limit the flow of cool air, and if air flow is obstructed, it can bypass the filter and leave dirt on the evaporator coil, which decreases the coil’s heat-absorbing abilities.
If your A/C unit is outside, clear debris like tall grass, weeds, and leaves that may have gathered around it. You can also remove the fan cage to clean out debris from the inside.
Use Your Ceiling Fan Wisely
The direction that your ceiling fan spins can have an impact on how cool your home feels during the summer. To encourage a downdraft of cool air, program your ceiling fan to turn counterclockwise. This can enhance the cooling effects of the A/C when it’s running.
Seal the Fireplace
A fireplace is great for cozy, winter nights, but during the summer you’ll want to ensure that cold air doesn’t make its way up and out of the home, and that warm air doesn’t come into the home. Close and seal the damper to prevent air flow, and adding a chimney cap damper can help to seal off the fireplace from the top.
Check Your Attic Insulation
A well-insulated attic can help keep your home cool during the summer. Inspect your attic to see if the insulation is dirty or compressed – if so, you may need to replace it with newer materials that can more effectively block heat transfer. Seal and weatherstrip around the windows in your attic to ensure hot air doesn’t move from your attic to the rest of the home.
If you’re wondering how your HVAC system will keep up with hot temperatures this summer, contact South Sound Inspections for an evaluation of your heating and cooling systems.
