Summer will be here before you know it, and when it arrives, you'll want to be prepared to keep cool. You don't want your air conditioner to fail you. Unfortunately, even if your air conditioner is working properly, it could still fail to keep you cool, especially during a heatwave. When the temperatures go well-above normal, your air conditioner can have a hard time keeping up with your demand for cool air. If your air conditioner needs to work too hard to keep you cool, it could suffer a malfunction, which would put you out of cool air until repairs can be performed. That's where you need to step in and give it a helping hand. By taking these simple precautionary steps described below, you can keep your home cool without making your air conditioner work overtime.

Give Your Air Conditioner Some Space

During a heatwave, your air conditioner is going to need all the space it can get. It's going to need to pull in as much air as possible, which will be difficult if your yard is filled with debris. Give your air conditioner the space it needs by clearing a decent sized path around the unit. Get rid of any weeds that are growing in the area, and move any yard equipment that you have stored in the vicinity. If you've got landscaping around the air conditioner unit, you'll need to transplant it, especially if you've got mature plants up against your AC. Giving your air conditioner adequate space will help it breathe easier, which will help you stay cooler.

Set Up a Mister

If the temperatures are well into the triple digits, your air conditioner is going to overheat, especially if you've got it working non-stop to keep you cool. One way to give your air conditioner a breather is to set up a mister. Installing a mister next to your air conditioner will help keep the coils moist and cool, so they can cool down the air properly, without overheating. Not only that, but the mister will also help cool off the air around the air conditioner, which will make it easier to cool down for your home.

Give Yourself Some Ventilation

You might think that an airtight home is the way to go. After all, if your home is airtight, the cool air can't escape. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily true. In fact, if your home is airtight, your air conditioner might not be able to keep your home as cool as it should be. That's because there's no ventilation to circulate the air and push it through your home. To make sure your home stays as cool as possible, try opening up one of your windows, just a crack. Your home will stay cooler, and your air conditioner won't need to work so hard.

Don't Forget the Preventative Maintenance

It's been a long, cold winter. The last thing you want to do is forget about the preventative maintenance. Scheduling a maintenance call could ensure a cool, comfortable summer. Not only that, but it could also help you avoid a more serious malfunction; one that could spell disaster for your entire HVAC system.

For more information, contact companies like Custom Heating &  Air Conditioning LLC.