Summer is peak project season. Best weather for exterior painting, decks, and landscaping. Also time for A/C maintenance, pest prevention, and keeping cool air in.
Replacing the filter and cleaning the condenser takes 30 minutes and can save $150+ on energy bills while preventing a $2,000 compressor failure in peak heat.
Locate your air handler (usually in basement, attic, or closet). Slide out the old filter — if it's gray and dense, it's restricting airflow. Note the size printed on the frame and install a MERV 8–11 rated replacement. During summer running, check again every 30 days.
Cut back shrubs to 18" clearance on all sides. Remove leaves, cottonwood seeds, and grass clippings from the fins and top grate. The condenser needs unrestricted airflow to reject heat — anything blocking it reduces efficiency and stresses the compressor.
Use a garden hose (not a pressure washer — fins bend easily) to gently rinse from the inside out, spraying downward from the top. This clears cottonwood and dust buildup that blocks heat transfer. A/C efficiency commonly improves 10–15% from this step alone.
Set the thermostat 5°F below room temperature and run it 10 minutes. Hold your hand at a supply vent — air should feel noticeably cold. If the compressor kicks on but air is room temperature or barely cool, refrigerant is likely low. Call an HVAC tech — refrigerant handling requires a licensed technician.
A 2-hour summer deck inspection catches rot and fastener failure before it becomes a $3,000–5,000 deck rebuild. Dry warm weather also creates perfect conditions for stain and sealer to cure.
Walk the entire deck surface and feel for soft spots underfoot. Use a screwdriver to probe board ends, areas around fasteners, and anywhere water can pool. Check stairs, rail posts, and balusters for wobble. Mark any suspect areas with painter's tape before you move on.
Pop-up screws are both a splinter hazard and a trip risk. Drive raised screws flush. Any nail that keeps popping back up should be pulled and replaced with a 3" deck screw. Inspect the ledger board where the deck attaches to the house — this is the most critical structural joint on the entire deck.
Use a sodium percarbonate deck cleaner and a stiff brush, or use a pressure washer on low (1200–1500 PSI, fan tip, 12" distance). Cleaning opens the wood grain so stain or sealer penetrates rather than sitting on top. Allow a full 48 hours to dry completely before applying any finish.
Do the water-bead test: sprinkle water on the boards. If it beads up, old finish still protects. If it absorbs in under 30 seconds, the wood needs a fresh coat. Apply a penetrating oil-based sealer or semi-transparent stain in two thin coats. Avoid application in direct sun above 85°F — it dries too fast to penetrate.
Ants, wasps, mice, and cockroaches surge in summer heat. A 2-hour exterior audit and $30 in caulk and foam stops 90% of pest problems before they start — far cheaper than an exterminator.
Look for gaps where utility lines (gas, electric, water, cable) enter the house. Feel along the sill plate — where the wood frame meets the top of the foundation wall — for any gaps. Any opening larger than ⅛" is a viable pest entry point. Mark everything with blue tape as you find it.
The dryer vent flap should open only when the dryer runs and close fully when off — a stuck or missing flap is an open door for pests. Check attic vents for torn screening behind the louvers using a flashlight. Replace damaged screens with metal hardware cloth — not fiberglass, which rodents can chew through.
Gaps under ½": paintable polyurethane caulk. Gaps ½"–2": pack tightly with steel wool first, then layer over with caulk or foam backer rod. Gaps over 2": pack with steel wool, then fill with expanding foam such as Great Stuff. Foam alone will not stop determined rodents — always combine with steel wool for any gap large enough for them to sense.
Slide a sheet of paper under each exterior door while closed. If it slides freely, the door sweep is worn or missing. Replace with a brush-style door sweep ($12–25) — these seal better than rubber on uneven thresholds. While you're at it, check the foam gasket on the door stop (interior frame) for compression failure.
Lint-clogged dryer vents cause 15,000+ house fires per year in the US. Cleaning takes 30 minutes and cuts drying times by 30–50%, saving real energy cost throughout a full summer of use.
Unplug the dryer (or close the gas shutoff valve on a gas dryer). Pull it 2–3 feet from the wall. Loosen the clamp on the flexible duct at the dryer's exhaust port and pull the duct free. If the flexible duct is the thin foil accordion type, plan to replace it — accordion ducts trap lint at every crinkle.
Feed a dryer vent cleaning brush kit (long flexible rods plus a brush attachment, ~$20 at hardware stores) through the flexible duct and rotate while pulling to extract lint. Vacuum up loose lint. If the flexible section is crushed, kinked, or torn, replace it with rigid metal 4" duct for a safer, more efficient run.
Insert the brush from the wall opening and work toward the exterior cap, adding rod extensions as needed. For runs over 10 feet, use a cordless drill to spin the brush — dramatically more effective than turning by hand. Run a shop vacuum at the interior wall opening to capture dislodged lint as you work.
Check the vent cap outside — the flap should open freely and seat closed under its own weight. Clear any lint clog, bird nest, or debris. Reconnect and run a test cycle, then stand at the exterior cap: you should feel a strong, steady stream of warm air. Weak airflow means a partial clog remains in the wall run — repeat the brush pass.