Attention OBX Landlords! Here’s how to keep your Outer Banks rental home’s Air Conditioning system cool and running efficiently in the OBX dog days of summer…..
Have your Heating and Air Conditioning system checked out each Spring by a licensed Heating and Air Contractor. We have many contractors in our program that are licensed and also fully insured. These vendors can check the Freon levels for your unit and also check for leaks in the coils which could cause your system to fail during the heavy cooling season. A tell-tale sign of a leak could be if your HVAC system cannot keep the house cool during the day but the system cools down at night.
Our Residential Rental Contract requires that OBX Housing Tenants change the filter monthly but it’s a difficult rule to enforce. When a service call comes in from a Tenant that the AC is not cooling the first thing we ask is if they have changed the filter. A clogged filter can cause the system to freeze up and/or cause the system to shut down. We try to make sure all OBX Tenants know to change the filter each and every month and that they DO NOT USE the thick filters that are advertised to only be changed every 3 months. This is a myth! These types of filters clog quickly and make your system struggle to pull in air flow through the return. The cheap $1 filter that is available at our local Outer Banks Ace Hardware stores is the best to use. If you buy a case of these filters, Ace Hardware will give you a20% discount so if you want to ensure your tenant changes the filter monthly, purchase a case for them at lease renewal. It’s less than $20 per return per year!
Tenants must keep window treatments drawn to avoid the home heating up from the strong OBX sun. Morning sun and afternoon sun can be brutal. If you provide window treatments make sure that they can block out East and West direct sunlight to help keep the home cool and electric costs down.
Install ceiling fans to help circulate air. This will help in both the Summer and Winter as most fans have a reversing switch to pull hot air up or blow cool air down. Ceiling fans are inexpensive and should be updated and changed out after each tenant. Many now offer LED bulbs and remote controls to help modernize your home.