As the weather starts to heat back up after the cold winter season, Memorial Day is one of those holidays that we all look forward to. It signifies the nice warm weather transition, and it’s a great time to catch up with family. If you’re hosting your Memorial Day weekend at home, there are several steps you’ll want to take to ensure your property is ready for your guests.
HVAC Tune-Up
One of the best things you can do is schedule an HVAC tune-up for your air conditioning system. If the weather gets too hot, you want your guests to have a comfortable indoor environment to retreat to. Professional maintenance will ensure that your air conditioner is operating efficiently and will significantly reduce your chance of experiencing a breakdown. It’s also essential for maintaining the warranty coverage on your unit and will give you peace of mind that it’s ready to go.
AC Filter Change
Before your guests arrive, one of the easiest ways to boost indoor air quality is by replacing your air filter. A clean filter helps your system run more efficiently and reduces the spread of dust and allergens, especially important if anyone in your home has seasonal allergies.
Pro tip: Not all systems can handle high-MERV filters. Check your owner’s manual or ask our team what MERV rating is best for your unit. In many cases, a MERV 8 or 10 strikes the right balance between filtration and airflow.
Prep Outdoor Condenser Unit
Take a few moments and clean up around your outdoor condenser unit. If there’s any shrubbery, debris, or even low-hanging branches within three feet of the unit, be sure to trim them back or remove them. It’s important for your unit to have optimal airflow for it to function correctly.
Check Air Vents
When test-running your system, walk around to all your supply and return vents to ensure that they’re completely open. Verify that air is moving out of all your supply vents and it’s cold. If you have ceiling fans, switch them to move in a counterclockwise direction for optimal indoor comfort.
Prep Blinds and Curtains
Another great strategy to help control the temperature in your home during your Memorial Day event is to use curtains or blinds. These barriers work to block out the natural sunlight that would otherwise heat up the indoor temperature of your home. With a lot of people likely going in and out of your home during the holiday, implementing blinds or curtains can be a great method for reducing the runtime of your air conditioner and keeping your energy bills in check.
Test Outdoor Faucets
As with most Memorial Day celebrations, outside activities that involve water are likely on your list of things to do. Whether it’s running a sprinkler for the kids or filling up squirt guns, having a well-functioning hose and outdoor faucet is a must.
Instead of waiting until you need to use it on Memorial Day, take a few moments before then to turn the water back on to your outdoor faucet. Test to ensure that it’s working appropriately and isn’t leaking. In addition, make sure you hook up your hose and desired nozzle so that it’s ready to go.
Install Drain Strainers
One of the biggest causes of plumbing problems during holiday celebrations is putting the wrong things down the drain. While this most commonly occurs in the kitchen, it can also happen in the shower and in your bathroom sinks. A great tactic to help minimize adverse items going down your drains is to install strainers.
These sit right over the drain and help to capture any particles before they go down it. Consider installing drain strainers in your sinks and showers to minimize your risk of a plumbing issue. If you have guests who are staying multiple days, be sure to clean out the strainers at least once a day to remove any debris so they don’t restrict the draining of your sinks and showers.
Make Informative Signs
It’s crucial to remember that people are going to be prone to using your plumbing system like they do their own. This could mean flushing flushable wipes and feminine hygiene products. Neither of these are good for your plumbing and can result in unfortunate clogging.
It can be helpful to make up informative signs that you place in your bathrooms advising your guests to use a garbage can instead of your toilet for disposal of these items. Additionally, make sure that you have garbage cans near all of your toilets for easy disposal.
Clean Your Garbage Disposal
If you have a garbage disposal, it can be beneficial to give it a good cleaning before the holiday celebration. Be sure to turn it off during the cleaning process for optimal safety. Start by cleaning the underside of the food splash guard as it’s likely full of food remnants.
Aim for putting baking soda and vinegar down your disposal to freshen it up and get rid of any stuck-on debris. You can use ice for your disposal to grind up and further remove any debris to ensure that it’s ready for the upcoming celebration.
Reliable HVAC and Plumbing Maintenance Service
Gunthers Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing offers reliable HVAC and plumbing maintenance services for the American Fork, UT community. We can also assist with all your HVAC and plumbing repair, replacement, and installation needs. Call our friendly office staff today to book your next service consultation.
