MIDLAND, Texas — When the summertime hits, calls come in more and more at Billy Black HVAC in Midland.
"Probably 30% of our calls, dirty filter," said Billy Black, president of Billy Black HVAC.
Black said in this triple-digit heat, people aren't changing their filters enough.
"Change your filter," said Black. "Everybody says three months, but these things when it's 105 degrees, they’re running nonstop. They gotta breathe."
"I’d say the majority of people don’t do maintenance, and we maintenance our cars, we maintenance everything else, you’d be so much farther ahead if you just did a maintenance," said Black.
As for what filters are the best, a standard pleated filter will do the trick.
"We run a pleated filter, just a standard filter," said Black. "At the store they have the big allergen filters. Just keep in mind, the more you’re asking the filter to do, the more restrictive it’s gonna be and the harder it’s gonna be on that system. So just a basic pleated filter is fantastic. And as hot as it is, I’d be changing that thing every 30 days."
When running the air in your home, keep the thermostat at a comfortable level.
"I would say just for that, maybe bump it up just a couple degrees more than what you’re used to on the milder days," said Jake McDaniel, service manager at Billy Black HVAC. "Just bump it up a little bit so it’s not running so hard, but still keep it at a comfortable level."
If you get to a point where your AC stops, here's how you can save yourself time and money.
"Let’s say your AC quits," said Black. "One thing you can do to save yourself some time and money is to see if it’s frozen. You got a bigger copper line on the outside that has black insulation on it. There will be ice forming on that. If there is ice on it, turn it off, because no one can fix it when it’s covered in ice."