You’re Almost Done With A/C Season — How to Care For the A/C at Summer’s End

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Just like pulling out winter clothes or winterizing your car, homeowners should take care of the home air conditioner as summer ends and winter looms. Here are four important steps in your end-of-summer A/C maintenance to prepare it for winter.

  • Clean your compressor unit. As the days become cooler, you’ll be using your air conditioner less. This is a good time to do a little outdoor A/C maintenance. Remove twigs and leaves that may have fallen on your outdoor unit. Trim back plants that have grown too close. These will block airflow necessary for cooling your compressor. Using a hose and never a power washer, wash your outside unit free of dirt and other debris.
  • Listen to your compressor unit. While performing A/C maintenance, listen for odd noises that might be a signal that something’s wrong. Grinding, buzzing or clunking noises could be a sign that your A/C unit’s damaged. Get it fixed now so it’s ready for next summer.
  • Change your air filter. As part of your end-of-summer air conditioner maintenance, replace the air filter. You should already be doing this regularly, but doing it now will make next summer’s start-up easier. Remember, a dirty filter decreases airflow and increases expense.
  • Protect the air conditioner’s outside component from the elements. Do so with a specially-made cover that can be picked up at home improvement stores. The cover shouldn’t be too tight, as ventilation is necessary to prevent rust and rodent infestation. Another option is to cover the top of the outdoor unit with a piece of plywood to keep it clear of snow and ice all winter.

For more information about A/C maintenance at the end of summer, contact the experts at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve proudly served homeowners throughout the greater Cincinnati area since 1910.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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