Blog by Susan Smith

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TURN OFF AIR CONDITIONING POWER

While we hate to admit it, summer is gone. It's time to shut off your air conditioner for the winter. There's more to it than just flicking the little switch on the thermostat from "cool" to "heat".

WHAT ? Shut off your air conditioner for the winter.
WHEN ? Now, or when you're sure you won't be using it anymore this season.
WHY ? Because there is a heater built into the outdoor component of your air conditioner. It's pointless and wasteful to leave it running all winter. You also risk burning out the heating element. It is costly to replace and critical for starting up your air conditioner next summer.
HOW ? It's simple. Shut off the power to the whole system. This is best done at the main electrical panel. Simply pull the fuses out or shut off the breakers marked "air conditioner." If they are not obvious, most air conditioning systems have an outdoor shut-off close to the outdoor unit.

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TIPS

We'll remind you in the spring, but it's very important to turn the power back on 24 hours before you use your air conditioner next year. The little heater takes a while to get everything up to the right temperature before it's safe to turn it on.
 

Don't go to the trouble of covering the outdoor component of your air conditioner for the winter. If you wrap it in plastic you can do more harm than good, trapping moisture under the cover. If your unit has a large opening in the top of it, you could cover the top with a piece of plywood held down with a few bricks to keep the snow out.
 

Your humidifier duct damper has likely been in the closed position during the summer months. This makes your air conditioner run more efficiently. Now's the time to move it to the open position.

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This entry was posted on October 26th, 2006 | Posted in Manage Your Home

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