If you’ve spent the last few weeks watching cottony white fluff drift through the air, you already know — Ohio cottonwood season is no joke. And right as temperatures start climbing into the 80s, that fluffy debris has been quietly packing itself into your HVAC equipment. Here’s what to check before the real heat arrives.
Clean Your Condenser Coils — Now
Cottonwood doesn’t just land on the ground. It collects on condenser coils like a sweater you never wanted. When coil surfaces are blocked, your unit has to work harder to reject heat — driving up energy costs and shortening equipment life. A thorough coil cleaning before peak cooling season is one of the highest-return maintenance tasks you can do. If it’s been skipped the last year or two, the difference in efficiency will show up on your utility bill and equipment life.
Check and Change Your Air Filters
Cottonwood fibers are large enough to load up an outdoor air filter fast. A dirty or clogged filter restricts airflow, causing evaporator coil freezing and can drive up indoor humidity — exactly the opposite of what you want heading into a humid Ohio summer. Walk your mechanical rooms and rooftop units and pull those filters. If they look dirty… they probably are.
Schedule a Pre-Season Service Call
The best time to find a refrigerant leak, a failing contactor, or a worn belt is before your tenants or employees are calling to say the AC isn’t keeping up. A pre-season inspection gives your service team time to source parts and schedule repairs without the urgency — and the premium pricing — that comes with a mid-July breakdown.
Don’t Wait for a Hot Day to Find Out Something’s Wrong
SKM Services helps facility managers and building owners across the Miami Valley keep their commercial HVAC systems running when it counts. Our maintenance schedule is filling up fast — and we have limited availability for additional pre-season work.
Schedule your pre-season maintenance by clicking here today!