Don’t Forget The Tune Up For Your Air Conditioner
In today’s real estate market, many homeowners are able to purchase properties that have been previously foreclosed or come close to it. A large number of these homes have sat empty for some time, sometimes even a few years before they are sold and someone else moves in.
While these homes are put on the market for sale, in general, many are left with no utility services on and all the windows and doors shut tight for months on end, which means the home gets no ventilation while it sits.
This lack of ventilation shows what sort of effect it has on the indoor building materials in the home. Looking at these homes makes one realize what a huge problem it really is when a house is left shut tight with no way for moisture to escape or get dried out.
As an example to us, we can take the evidence from this large scale obvious problem and apply it to what can happen if we leave off our air conditioner in the home we own for a couple of weeks at a time.
Whether during traveling or renting out the house, it’s never a good idea to leave the air conditioner or heater off. In doing so, the home is left to trap moisture.
One of the most common signs the home has seen too much humidity indoors is on popcorn or textured ceiling or wall surfaces. The texture will start peeling away until eventually, the entire texture is falling off.
Fixing this problem can be quite expensive, especially if the drywall starts to warp, which is also very common. Have you ever noticed a ceiling where the drywall looks as if it’s holding water or dropping down in the center? That’s likely due to humidity and not direct pooling water problems.
This will be the best way you can ensure your home that has to sit empty will retain the good structure and not suffer from high moisture damages. And of course, if you’re just going on vacation for a couple of weeks or more, why not just leave the air on while you’re gone?
It’s always going to be worth it to pay a little for the energy cost than it would be to come home and find you have to foot the bill for moisture damage repairs!
One of the best ways you can control the air conditioner or heater while you’re away is to get a programmable thermostat. There are many options on the market today that include technology that makes it possible to monitor and change the thermostat remotely. On several, you can use the internet or even smartphone for this.
You can also opt for humidity control devices for the home, as an additional setup to prevent moisture buildup. No matter the options, just ensure you find some way not to let the air conditioner run without monitoring and be sure to have a tune-up done first so you know it’s in good shape for the season!
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