Is your car’s AC ready for another McHenry summer?

How hot will it get this summer? The high temperature in McHenry during the summer of 2020 was 92 degrees on July 26. We hit 90 or higher on seven or eight days in the course of the year. But there were any number of days that hovered close to 90.

The reality is that the temperature in McHenry doesn’t need to hit 90 before you turn the AC on in your car. At what temperature do you turn on your car’s air conditioning? Let’s suppose you turn the AC on at 80 degrees.

There were approximately 69 days in the McHenry summer season of 2020 where the thermometer reached or exceeded 80 degrees. How will the temperature work out for 2021? It’s hard to say.

The Old Farmers’ Almanac is calling for a “warm and stormy” summer of 2021. This brings up another point.

If it’s a nice day, even if a bit warm, you can roll the windows down and, if you don’t want your hairdo blown beyond recognition, you may not turn the AC on at the same temperature. But if it’s a stormy day and you have the windows up to avoid having gusts of rain lashing your face, you may find that you want to turn the air conditioning on in your car even at a lower temperature.

Fortunately, on those stormy days, the AC does more than cool your car; it also dehumidifies the air in your car. This is why you park your car in the summer and see a puddle of water underneath; that puddle is made up of the moisture that was in the air.

The first day in the McHenry summer of 2020 to top 80 was May 24 with 85 degrees. We’ll reach the anniversary of May 24 in a few days. The first day we topped 90 was June 2nd last year (91 degrees). That anniversary is only a few days later.

The point is that, however this summer works out – hotter than usual or not as hot as usual – one thing is certain; you’re going to need your car’s air conditioning soon. The time to find out if it is up to the task is now.

You may go out, turn it on and, shortly, feel cool air out of the vent. This, unfortunately, is not a sufficient test. When the weather is cool the AC doesn’t have to work as hard to remove the heat from the air. But on a day when the air is really hot, the AC has to work much harder.

A qualified auto repair technician knows how to check your car’s air conditioning regardless of the current weather. This is a good time to bring your car in to have your AC checked before the full heat of another McHenry summer arrives.

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