How to deal with cooling issues during the hot summer months

As the summer months warm up, the number one concern you will likely hear from your tenants is that there house is not cooling down. This isn’t overly complicated it comes down to one simple thing – changing the furnace filter.

Let’s face it, as much as we would all like to think, hope, maybe even believe that your tenants change the filters, but the reality is, they really don’t. You can leave a package of 3 brand new filters right reside the furnace for them, and 3 months later when you go back, the filters will likely still be there and likely still in the package.

You may be wondering how important the air filter can really be, if you’ve gone this long without changing it and the system apparently works fine. The air filter actually has a pretty significant role in keeping the furnace healthy, though. The filter is installed in the return duct, so that all air flowing into the furnace must first flow through the filter first. The filter collects dust and debris that might otherwise make it into the furnace and cause problems. It does this job pretty well, but it has one major drawback: it can’t get rid of the debris that it collects. This is why the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced every few months.

If the air filter is not serviced often enough, it will eventually become clogged to the point that air cannot pass through it. When the furnace is operating, the lack of air flow will trap the heat in the system. As the temperature inside the system continues to rise, the limit switch will activate and shut down the furnace to prevent it from overheating. This will temporarily mitigate the issue, but it won’t solve the root problem. Without a new air filter, the furnace will overheat every time it starts up again.

Two years ago, as part of our preventative maintenance program our management company decided to make this as a value-add service we offered to our owners. On a quarterly basis our company was in the property doing regular walk through inspections in made sense for us to simply change the filter on behalf of the resident anyways.

In fact, just last year, we decided to offer this service to all landlords as well as part of our preventative maintenance program. The best part about this is we can do your semi-annual preventative maintenance and you can continue to manage the property. Let us take this off your to-do list. If you are interested in learning more feel free to check this out.

To our Mutual Success,

Jay

Jay Shaw
Welcome Home Management