Summer is here. All over the U.S. temperatures are reported in the 80's to over a hundred degrees. In many areas the humidity is horrible too. To adjust to these potentially lethal weather conditions, humans seek out cold pools of water, frozen drinks, and air conditioning. The problem is, air conditioning, like most machines and systems, can overheat too. Here are three common ways your A/C can overheat, and how to prevent it.

Running the A/C 24/7

Most people assume that running the air conditioner all the time in summer is okay. They want an ice box inside the house while it is an oven outside. To get and maintain such cold temperatures indoors, the air conditioner as to run night and day and never take a break. If it did take a break, the temperature in your home would begin to rise again, and the thermostat would pick up on that.

The thermostat then signals the A/C to start up again. This constant running causes the machinery to get very hot, and then it runs just to cool itself. Instead, try setting your thermostat at a reasonably comfortable temperature, such as seventy-two or seventy-three degrees. Your home will still be cooler than it is outside, but you will not put so much stress on your A/C system.

Running Your Dryer, Oven/Stove and Dishwasher Together

Hot appliances that are running all day are just as detrimental to your A/C as the weather itself. Imagine baking all day while running a hot dryer to do laundry and a hot dishwasher for all of those baking dishes and utensils you dirtied. As they grow hotter during use, they inject the air in your home with hot air.

The thermostat thinks the air conditioning is not doing its job, so it forces the air conditioner to work harder in order to change the rising temperature in the house. It comes as no surprise then, when your air conditioner actually does fail and you have to call a repair technician. Instead, hang your laundry out to dry in the hot sun, opt to run your dishwasher at night while you are sleeping, and bake only what you really need to bake (or cook).

Sweltering Heat Outside

While you cannot control sweltering heat outside, you can make the weather conditions a little easier on your A/C. Run the A/C all night so that your home gets quite comfortable and bearable. Then turn the system off for most of the day, or until it gets too hot inside to bear. This puts less wear and tear on your air conditioner during the milder to hottest parts of the day, and your home can keep most of its cool air when you need it most at night and in the morning.

Contact a tech, like Allied Mechanical & Electrical, Inc., for more help.