Heating home mistakes, how to avoid them

SALT LAKE CITY -- Are you making your house hotter by accident? It's something nobody wants, especially over the next week when we'll really start feeling the summer heat. You may be guilty of making common mistakes that could be making it worse. KSL asked the cooling experts at Any Hour to walk through a home in Utah County to show what common mistakes people make, and how to avoid them. "As homeowners, one of the most important things they can do is actually change their (furnace) filter. Easy slide in and slide out, really easy to change and we can see if we're dirty or not." Dustin Laird, a technician with Any Hour said. Laird said the frequency of changing filters depends on their size. "The one-inch filters, we're doing those every 30 to 90 days," Laird said. He told KSL that doing this will help keep houses cleaner and colder. Laird said that spraying the AC unit outside your house with a garden hose can also aid in summer cooling, allowing for better airflow. "These coils can get really clogged up with dust, dirt, grass clippings, and can cause the system to work a lot harder and basically suffocate, and possibly overheat," Laird said. Another common mistake homeowners make is not knowing what time of day is best to open or close windows. "We want to open these windows early in the morning, and when we have that free cold air, we can circulate," Laird said. "Then when it starts warming up, let's trap all the cold air inside and keep that hot air outside." Laird advised people to open their vents all the way to get airflow throughout the home. People may think it's best practice to close vents in rooms that don't need heating or cooling, but this may cause house temperatures to rise. "What that'll do is cause that room to really overheat and resonate throughout the entire home," Laird said.

Cooling tips from Any Hour

• Keep bedroom doors open to provide additional airflow throughout the home
• Shade windows with blinds or curtains to block the sun from heating inside the home
• Keep indoor vents open
• Use box fans or ceiling fans to circulate air
• Avoid blocking return vents that pull air throughout the home

Related topics