What's a good way to beat the heat in summer? Most will go to the beach or local pool to swim and cool down. Others may have their own pool at home or set up an inflatable pool. This is a good temporary escape from the heat, but it has its down sides. You can suffer sun burns from swimming, pools and beaches can be too crowded. And for some people, a trip to the beach can be too expensive.



So, is there an alternative to beat the heat? Is there a way to keep cool at the comfort of your own home? There is another way. Install a window air conditioner.

Installing a window air conditioner is a good way to cool down in your home. It is a great way to get away from the heat without drying up your bank account. However, this does not mean that buying a big window mounted air conditioner is the best choice, bigger is not always better. If you buy one which is too big for your home would only cause your electric bill to rise and would not give you the best performance it can. Proper sizing is important.

A common mistake is to buy an air conditioner too big for the room, it would lower the temperature however it would not properly eliminate humidity in the room. This would result in discomfort due to too much humidity and an over sized electric bill. When you are able to get the perfect size, a window air conditioner would prove to be a wonderful appliance for small rental homes and apartments. But like all appliances, regular maintenance is important to keep it in prime condition.

Keeping the window mounted air conditioner in good shape after the long winter would just take a few easy and simple steps, you wouldn't need a technician or an expert for this, and you can do it yourself. This wouldn't take too long. First step to thoroughly check the unit is to go outside and remove the covering of the air conditioner from the outside. Then, dismount the unit from its wall frame and place it on a flat surface outside of the house. At this point, remove the front covering of the air conditioning unit. Then, bring out a vacuum and connect the soft brush attachment, then proceed to vacuum the condenser coils.

Another way to do this is to use a hose and hose it down from the inside out. But be very careful as you can get the motor and electronics wet, we don't want that to happen. Then check for any bent fins on the condenser coil, if you spot some use a coil fin comb. Next step is to check the foam air filter, if it is damaged buy a new one and replace it, if it is just dirty wash it with some dishwashing soap and water then place it back in the unit after it dries. After this, you can now reinstall the unit to its frame and re attach the front and back cover.