Are you ready for 40 degrees of pure heat this summer? Five things to get you ready for Australian summer

I woke up this morning with a question in my head – Am I truly ready for the glorious summer months ahead? I brushed it off at first simply because I was freezing cold. Then later in the day when the sun came out I revisited that initial though; am I truly ready?

Australia is famed for its great outdoors and beautiful beaches. The summer months are packed with activities, festivals and sports – it’s beautiful and picturesque but it also can be unforgiving and hot which begs the question, are you ready for 40 degrees of pure heat this summer? If the answer is yes, brilliant, if no then this blog is for you. My first summer in Australia threw me a right hook that felt like a blow from prime Mike Tyson, it took me a while to adjust but through help from family, friends and Rite Price, I came out swinging. It is going to be hot, you will feel like melting in the heat but with the right preparedness, you can stroll through the summer relatively stress free. Here are my suggestions and recommendations of things to do to get you ready for the summer months.
Disclaimer, I am no expert but I found these to be particularly helpful and thought to share it with all of you. I hope it serves you as well as it served me. Without further ado, here are five things to get you ready for the Australian Summer.
1. Tune up your Air conditioner
The first thing you should do is check your air conditioning unit. We’re in spring and have just been through winter so chances are you haven’t had to use your air conditioning unit in months, and after the shift it put in during the summer, it is advisable that you check your air conditioner to ascertain if it’s up to the task this summer. Check the filters, the coolants, the vents and the compressor. Test it to see if its working at peak efficiency and make the necessary changes, repair or upgrade. If you are using a split system, check both the outside and the wall units to see if they are working harmoniously. Check the setting too and test the efficiency of the fan. If you have a ducted unit installed, turn it up and see if the zones are delivering cool air as designed. This is a top priority assessment for the summer, you’ll need a fully functional and efficient air conditioning unit if you want to get through the scorching summer. An evaporative cooling system is a great option, for more information visit our evaporative cooling page.

2. Check your Ventilation for Leaks
These few weeks have seen a heavy downpour and the forecast suggests that we’ll be experiencing more heavy rainfall in the coming months. The ramification of that is the potential damages caused by the rain to your roof and ventilation. It is important that you conduct the necessary checks on your ventilation system to mitigate against any leakages and slight damages from dampness that will affect you in the summer – what’s the good of having a fully functional air conditioner operating at maximum efficiency if you are not getting the cool breeze because of leakages from windows, doors, insulation, ducts or pipe?
All you need to do is to carry out a DIY audit of your home by checking doors and windows for leaks, and if you find any, you can easily plug the leaks with caulk and weather stripping. However, for the heavier stuff like pipes, ducts and insulation, it is recommended that you contract a professional to check for and plug leakages. Of course, this may not be the case in every home, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. If you are attentive enough, you’d noticed any leakages during the winter and make a note of it or have it fixed beforehand. Nevertheless, checking your ventilation for leaks is something you should do in preparation for the summer.

3. Dust and switch your Ceiling Fan
This may not seem that important but apparently, the rotation of your fan determines its efficiency in certain seasons – I had no idea until I started research for this blog, for those who knew kudos. Back to my reasoning, yes you should check your ceiling fan and make sure its rotating counter-clockwise and at the highest speed for maximum airflow delivery. Also, this goes without saying but dust your fan, you wouldn’t want dusty air circulating your home, it is not sanitary and carries health risk. Having a properly working fan will go a long way in helping you through the summer – especially at night when the weather is a bit cooler and you want to save on air conditioning electric bills.

4. Check your Fridge/Freezer
I put this on the list because I noticed my fridge is not as cold as it should be. Perhaps that’s because the weather’s getting warmer and my sense of hot/cold is adjusting to the changing temperatures but still, it warranted a check and lo and behold, my fridge needed servicing. Now it’s working better than before and is ready to cool my drinks and food all summer long. Imagine the sensation of having a cold drink of water or coke on a really hot day, for a moment you feel like you are in a commercial and life is good, your brain’s working at full capacity and you’re refreshed. Now imagine being parched and running to the fridge to find everything is warm because your fridge decided to shutdown. You must check your fridge and freezer to make sure they’re prepared for the summer months ahead.

5. Upgrade your Air Conditioning Unit
Tuning up your current air conditioning unit or checking your fan or fixing your fridge or sealing leakages on your vent will mean little if your current air conditioning unit is not up for the task of getting you through the summer. It is imperative that you have the best air conditioning option available. Depending on the age of your current air conditioning unit, I’d recommend an upgrade to the latest in air conditioning technology from the world’s best brands. You have the option of innovative Split Units from Mitsubishi Electric to Reverse Cycle Ducted Air conditioning or Evaporative Cooling units from top Aussie brands like Breezair and Braemar. Check out our other blog posts on ducted air conditioning and evaporative cooling for more information.
Call us now at Rite Price Heating & Cooling and speak with our experienced staff about your options and discuss what systems you would like to upgrade to. Take advantage of our attractive offers on Ducted Evaporative Cooling and get ready for the summer heat wave.