Summer is long gone and hopefully the air conditioner unit in your home is too. One of the tasks you should undertake every fall is removing the air conditioner and put it into storage. Storage Deluxe offers affordable unit sizes that can fit any amount of air conditioners that you’ll need to store over the winter. While most people assume the reason for moving a window air conditioner is to reduce heating costs from drafts through the window, there are many safety reasons to bring your window air conditioner to Storage Deluxe. Taking the air conditioner out of your window and putting it into storage reduces a family or business’ risk of fire, burglary, and an invasion of bugs.

Heat loss around a window air conditioner can be quite significant. While some like to keep their air conditioners in place year-round to avoid the hassle of moving them, heat loss around a window air conditioner can be quite costly. Moving the air conditioner out of the window can reduce heating bills and cold drafts—especially if you follow-up after putting the air conditioner into storage by sealing the window with plastic for the winter. YouTube has a tutorial video on sealing your windows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxeNe84zNk.

Removing the AC can be vital to your safety once it is no longer needed. A window air conditioner can provide a burglar with entrance to your home or business. A common technique used by burglars during the day is to remove an air conditioner from outside the home while homeowners or tenants are at work. The same technique is used by burglars to enter small businesses. Removing and storing the window air conditioner can provide families and business owners with security from burglars who use this as their entry technique.

Another safety persuasion with your ACs are fire hazards. Did you know window air conditioners are against fire codes in many communities if they are used in bedrooms that have only one window? Most fire codes require bedrooms to have a second entrance (a window) that can be used to escape the home in case of a fire. ACs can cause fires; a fire can begin with an electrical shortage in a window air conditioner (especially when using an extension cord to provide power to the unit). If it is not strong enough to carry the heavy electrical current needed by an air conditioner, it can be a fire hazard.

Lastly, small bugs can find their way into your home when cold weather strikes. One bug in particular is the stink bug. This bug can crawl into a home around a window air conditioner. Stink bugs can invade homes through very small openings. To avoid them, it may be necessary to first remove the window air conditioner, and then use caulk to seal all tiny cracks around all of the windows that might allow stink bugs or any bugs entrance this winter.