As we go into the hot summer days and temperatures continue to rise, here are some tips on how to keep your apartment’s air conditioning and HVAC system running smoothly so you stay cool. Many residents believe their AC isn’t working because they aren’t cooling like they’re accustomed to during the cooler days, or they are not cooling down in the heat of the day. This is very common especially for 2nd and 3rd floor apartments, because they don’t have a lot of shade or has high ceilings.
The first thing everyone should know is that their system is not designed for 100ºF heat. HVAC systems are designed for the average temperature in your area. These system is also designed to cool to a maximum of 20º below the temperature outside. When there are average temperatures outside, you should have no problem cooling to 70ºF or 71ºF. However, when the outside temperature approach 100ºF or above, expect your AC to cool your apartment to 75-80ºF.
3 ways to tell if there’s something wrong with the HVAC or if it is just the heat.
- Does the system eventually start keeping up in the middle of the night or early morning when the outside temperatures have cooled down? If the answer is yes, the problem is more than likely just the extreme heat outside.
- Is the system cooling some? If it is close to 20º cooler than outside, it is probably doing all it can. If it is closer to the outside temperature, you probably have an issue that needs service.
- Are there any signs of a problem such as a water leak at the indoor unit, ice on the indoor or outdoor coils, or it is not catching up over night? If yes, you probably need a service call.
8 things you can do to keep your home cooler when the A/C just can’t keep up.
- Use fans.
- Keep your blinds closed.
- Run your dishwasher and washer/dryer at night.
- Set your thermostat higher than you normally would to give your system a break. Operating in extreme heat can cause breakdown of motors, capacitors and other parts.
- Make sure your filter is clean, this will ensure your system is operating at peak efficiency with no air-flow restrictions.
- Utility closets should not be used as storage areas as this restricts air-flow in your apartment forcing your unit to overwork and ultimately fail.
- Keep doors and windows closed and try not to open and close the doors to outside too often.
- Keep your thermostat at a consistent temperature.
We always encourage you to enter a work order using our resident portal and hope this information helps address the most common questions regarding your HVAC system.
