HVAC professional weighs in on air conditioner maintenance tips trending on social media

SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - If you haven’t noticed - your electricity bill is probably twice what it was last year. The hit to household budgets has some people looking for answers in all the wrong places.

With temperatures reaching the triple digits, the last thing you need is for your AC to break on you.

Which is something HVAC expert, Colin Harrell is used to seeing, especially in recent weeks.

Harrell said, “Recently what we find is, with all these high temperatures, their system just can’t keep up.”

However, there are ways to keep your AC up and running.

That includes the tip trending on social media, to cover your outdoor unit with an umbrella, Harrell says it’s no myth, it works.

He said, “Providing shade is a great way to help the efficiency of your condenser, making sure that the sun isn’t directly beating down on it during the hottest part of the day.”

There’s also a trending tip to hose down your unit to keep it cool.

Harrell explained, “I don’t recommend you spraying down your condenser down with water because what happens is the water will collect in the coils and it will not allow air to flow through the coils freely.”