The heat of summer seems far away, but it is a good time to prepare your air conditioning unit.

Dave Carlson is the service manager with Polhamus Heating & A/C Inc. in Moses Lake. Carlson said the company is heading into maintenance season as spring approaches.

“That’s where we’re going to go out and check refrigerant levels, which is absolutely crucial,” Carlson said. “You don’t want your system running with low refrigerant; it can cause some serious damage and shorten the life of the compressor.”

Carlson said they’ll ensure HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units have the inside and outer coils clean and the unit has maximum airflow. He said homeowners can call any of the local HVAC companies around this time to make sure their unit is ready to go for summer.

If a contactor is discolored, or burnt up, the company can change it out and relieve any worries of a unit shutting down in 100-degree weather. Capacitors and contactors are the two biggest items Carlson said his company replaces in the spring and summer.

He has a checklist covering all kinds of air conditioning units.

“Refrigeration works the same on all units, under different control,” Carlson said. “They all fall under the checklist that we do.”

There are a few things a homeowner can do to check an HVAC system. One method is the “touch test.” Carlson said there should be two pipes leading away from your unit, one big and one small.

The bigger pipe in summer should feel icy cold to the touch, while the smaller pipe will be warmer.

“If you’re in the middle of the summer and you grab your big pipe and it’s not cold, your house is gonna warm up, guaranteed,” Carlson said.

Another piece of advice Carlson gave was to make sure all of the air duct registers in your home are completely open, even in rooms not in use. He said this ensures the equipment isn’t working harder than it needs to, which can shorten the life of your air conditioner.

A homeowner comfortable being hands-on can do a few things on his or her own. On an air conditioner compressor, disconnect the power to the unit before flushing the outside coils to clean them. Making sure the electrical area doesn’t get wet, Carlson said, the homeowner can open up the unit and brush down the inside coils with a soft bristle brush.

He said a homeowner can also stop by any HVAC company and pick up a can of evaporating foam no-rinse spray to run over the inside coils. This doesn’t require any water to rinse off. It will remove buildup and drip into the unit’s drain pan, he said. Many units have a drain pan that can be removed for cleaning.

Carlson said it is very beneficial get that maintenance work done now before companies like his become swamped in the summertime with service calls.

“It’s not hot, it’s not cold and we’ve got time as opposed to someone coming home from work, it’s six o’clock at night and their house is 90 degrees,” Carlson said. “We’re available 24/7, 365, but it’s going to cost them overtime rates and, of course, the discomfort of their house being 90 degrees.”

If a homeowner calls about an air conditioner not working during the first four or five really hot days of the year, he said, there’s a very real chance the company might be booked out a few weeks.

For someone considering replacing HVAC equipment this year, the benefits of going for a higher-end model compared to a low-end, base model can be huge over time, Carlson said.

“They pay for themselves because of the efficiency that they’re running at,” Carlson said. “Whatever extra money they pay from the base model to the high-end model, over time, because of the efficiency they’re running at, it literally pays for itself.”

Carlson suggested starting by calling some companies and getting estimates on a new system. Most quotes are free of charge, and bigger companies will come out and give you an estimate of what you might need to spend.

Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmccarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.