Is Spring finally here? What should I do now?

       It may still be early to think about actually running your air conditioner, but there are a few things you can do to get ready for the anticipated hot weather concerning your comfort. 

For the exterior portion of the air conditioning:
       If you have it covered for the winter, take the cover off.   Clean all of the debris from around the unit to allow sufficient airflow when running.  Take a water hose and rise off the fins on the cooling coil.  Start at the top and work your way down.  Do a visual inspection of the electrical lines and line set.  Check to see if the electrical disconnect is turned to the on position.

Now for the inside portion of the air conditioning:
      Check your drain line for you coil.  This runs form your plenum area right above your furnace to a floor drain.   Inspect it for kinks and breaks.  If possible, verify that it is not plugged.  Temporarily disconnect the drain hose from the coil.   Pour a cap full or so of bleach down into the hose and then reconnect it.  Do a visual inspection around the furnace  looking for signs of past water leaks.  Turn your power onto the outside air conditioner unit by either turning in the fuses or flipping the circuit breaker.

 The next thing is to call your trusted air conditioning expert, hopefully Kath Heating and Air Conditioning, and set up a schedule for a A/C tune-up.  We prefer to do the tune-ups when the temperature is at least 70 degrees and the air conditioner is actually cooling the house.  This allows for better accuracy when testing the coolant charge.