06/28/2021
We are expecting yet another day of record heat. Here is some tips on how to help keep your house cool and what to expect from your AC. AC’s in our climate are designed for 85-95 degrees while maintaining a 78 degree indoor temp. As the temperature exceeds 100 degrees many AC’s will not be able to keep up, this does NOT mean your's is broken. An AC is designed to maintain temperature and with these never before seen temperatures, no properly sized AC will be able to maintain set point in these temperatures.
The hottest temperature recorded in Portland was 107.2 degrees in 1942 and as you well know we will have had 3 days of 108+ degree heat. Here are some tips to keep your house comfortable all summer long.
1. Ensure the filter in your system is clean. A Dirty filter can reduce the capacity of your air conditioner making it harder to keep cool.
2. Do not use a setback on your thermostat. If you want the house at 75 degrees, set your thermostat for 75 degrees all day and night.
3. If you are having issues keeping up with the heat, try “pre cooling” the house and set the temperature lower in the colder part of the day so the house can be “pre cooled” as the temperature rises.
4. Close all blinds and cover all windows. The majority of heat coming into a home comes in through the windows, so covering them will make the biggest difference.
5. Ensure all registers are open. Even if you want more airflow to certain parts of the home, this causes back pressure in the ductwork and reduces the capacity of the air conditioner.
6. Don’t worry, if your air conditioner runs and doesn’t shut down that’s perfectly normal, in fact it means its doing its job. AC’s are meant to run for long periods of time, its actually bad for them if they turn on and then off quickly.
7. Try to limit use of incandescent lighting, cooking with a stove, showering(which adds humidity) and use of bath fans or range hoods as these let out the cool air and bring in hot air through cracks in the home and ductwork.
8. The best way to add capacity to your home is your have ducts sealed. Ductwork looses 15-30% of the conditioned air that goes through it.