Learn from My Experience–Get Your Air Conditioner Checked Before Summer

Spring may not be a time when most of us think about air conditioning, but now is definitely the time to give your air conditioning system a spring checkup.  Add it to your spring cleaning list and make sure that’s your house is ready for the arrival of summer.  I know from experience how important this pre-warm weather check up can be.

Years ago, my husband and I purchased a new home in a lovely subdivision outside of Washington, DC.  We were excited about showing off our new residence to friends and invited our best friends to join us for the DC’s official Commencement of Spring, the flowering of the cherry trees. We looked forward to seeing our friends and I made certain that everything was in ready for their arrival. Neighbors had advised me to have our air conditioning system checked as their units required coolant.  My husband, being the every thrifty, save-a-penny kind of guy, assured me that it was not necessary.  After all, he said, “This is a new unit and a very good and reliable brand. “I should know, he further stated, “I manage the company that sells these units and they are the best.”

Our friends arrived on Friday.  We had a lovely afternoon.  May can be a fickle month for weather in the DC area.  Sometimes you get snow and cherry blossoms, and sometimes you get showers or humidity.  That year, summer decided to make its appearance in a big way that very weekend.

After we arrived back from sightseeing, my friends commented that the house was hot. I couldn’t help but notice the heat as well.  I turned the air conditioning on and we all parted to shower and dress for our dinner engagement. We had made reservations at one of the best Washington restaurants, well-known for its French cuisine and extensive wine list.  Before leaving, my friends commented that the house was still hot.  I turned the thermostat way down and we left. Little did I know, the air conditioning system was blowing nothing but hot air!

In blissful ignorance of what was yet to be, we had a lovely dinner paired with several bottles of delectable wine. Upon arriving home after dinner, we were welcomed by a “hot” house. I do not mean just warm, I mean hot.  There is nothing like Washington heat and humidity.  Mother Nature picked this very day to bring summer in with a sizzle.  I gave my husband a not so sweet look; but nothing could be done.  You can’t get a technician out at 11:00 at night to check out your air. We tried to make conversation, but the heat was unbearable.  We were smoldering.  My friends jokingly took ice from the ice maker and rubbed it over their arms and faces.  Heat and too much wine do not agree.  My friends said they were going to bed, where they could at least undress and be comfortable.  It was even hotter upstairs in the bedrooms. It was so hot, no one could sleep.  Finally, my girlfriend knocked on the door and said they were going to check into a nearby hotel—they just couldn’t take the heat any longer.  I couldn’t blame them.  As a matter of fact, I wanted to join them, but mustered enough reserve not to beg.  I finally took some blankets and sheets outside on the back deck and made a pallet for myself.  My husband could suffer upstairs for all I cared at the moment. My husband came out and asked if I weren’t afraid to sleep outside in the open. I think he was really more concerned about what the neighbors might think when they saw me. I told him that I should be so lucky as to be slashed by Jack-The-Ripper or carried off by some wild animal.  At least I would be spared this misery and embarrassment. Just when I thought that I could not endure the heat any longer, a cool breeze brought sweet relief.  I was finally able to sleep.  Unfortunately, the cool breeze was the forerunner of sunrise.  I arose and went back inside to take another shower, still trying to cool down.

Our friends called from their hotel room and asked us to join them for breakfast.  Of course we agreed—at least we would be in air conditioned comfort for a few hours.  We toured some other DC attractions and said goodbye to our departing friends, who said they could never repay us properly for this “hot” weekend. Amazingly, we are still friends and laugh about that weekend, but it wasn’t funny at the time.

The money my husband thought he saved by not making that service call, turned out to be costly.  Was it really worth ruining a great weekend with good friends?  Take my advice and schedule an air conditioning tune up—before you need the cool air.  Air conditioning maintenance can prevent small problems from becoming big problems and save you money as well as friendships.  Your technician can catch small problems before they add up to major expenses.  Repairing a small refrigerant leak costs little more than a regular service call.  However, buying a new compressor when low refrigerant levels burn your unit out can cost dearly. HVAC problems, if you have them, are not going to disappear with summer’s heat. You may find, as we did, that all the pros are booked and emergency service will cost you dearly.