April heat wave a reminder that AC is becoming necessary in the Pacific Northwest

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The Metro area finally got a glimpse of sunshine this week, reminding us of how hot the temperatures can get during the summer.

“You have to realize; this is not even May yet and we’re having a heat wave. You have June, July, August and into September. You have 3.5 months it can get really hot here,” owner of Ankeny Hardware, Norman Chusid, said.

Now might be a good time to start preparing your home, starting with checking your filter to make sure your air conditioning is going to work efficiently.

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“Take your furnace filter out, this happens to be one that’s an extra thick one. You can have them in 1 inch, 2 inch or 4 inches thick. Hold it up. If you can see light through it, it’s probably okay. If it’s got a lot of dust, dirt on it, some people try knocking the dirt off it, just throw it away,” he said.

Chusid said it’s best to change your filter a few times a year to prevent motor damage.

“It’s an easy thing to do,” he said. “You do it the first of the year and when summer starts.”

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If you don’t have central AC and you’re looking to get a new window unit or portable air conditioner before summer, it’s best to grab one sooner than later.

“Right now, we have a lot of window units but portable acs are trickling in, they’re harder to get this season,” Chusid said. “I think you need to be prepared because everything is in short supply. It’s no different than having emergency supplies in your house. Being kept cool during the summer is an emergency supply.”

Chusid said if you have a portable air conditioner, it’s important to keep it running because it works harder to bring the temperature back down than keep it at the same temperature.

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