Beating the Heat Wave: What you need to know

If your air conditioner has been running fine all summer, that doesn't necessarily mean nothing is wrong with it.

"The warmer it gets outside it's going to be harder. The unit is going to run non-stop the closer it gets to 95, 100 degrees out. Now it's going to show if there's something minor wrong with it," said Joe Skodras a service technician with Seider Heating and Air Conditioning. 

Seider says a problem may show up in the heat when it didn't before. 

There's a few signs to look for before the heat hits:

• If your home is warm when the A/C is on
• If your A/C is running non-stop to keep temperature
• If your A/C does not cool to the exact temperature it is set to reach

Seider says you should also make sure the filter is being changed regularly, and that the coils of the air conditioning aren't plugged with debris.

Some problems are easy enough for a technician to guide you through over the phone. Seider says they often walk people through replacing thermostat batteries, or if a knob or button was hit accidentally.

Seider recommends a yearly tune-up for your air conditioner before the summer season.

There's many common knowledge ways to prepare for excessive heat.

Drinking plenty of water, and staying in the an air conditioned building, pool or seeking shade. 

The Red Cross recommends avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Both will cause dehydration. Drink water even when you aren't thirsty.

The Red Cross also recommends eating small meals and eating more often. Large meals will actually increase your metabolic heat.

The city also has a handful of wading pools to keep cool. The wading pool at Merrill Park was full on Wednesday, and pool supervisors said they were preparing for Thursday's heat.

"To keep the kids cool and out of the sun - cool them down, and I'm going to have a full day, probably not going to be able to see the water and I'm turning on the sprinklers tomorrow, so they can come on out and have some fun," said Cinnamon Williams with the Merrill Park Wading Pool.

MPS Recreation Wading Pools are another great way to stay cool on those hot summer days! Wading pools are open
Monday-Friday (and Saturday at Enderis) from June 20th through August 12th at the times listed below:

Location	Address	Times
Burbank	6035 W. Adler	12-4pm
Burnham	1755 S. 32nd	10am-5pm
Enderis	2938 N. 72nd	12-4pm (M-F) 11am-4pm(Saturday)
Holt	1716 W. Holt	10am-5pm
Merrill Park	461 N. 35th	10am-5pm
Modrzejewski	1020 W. Cleveland	10am-5pm
Ohio	974 W. Holt	10am-5pm