Is it safe to shut down the air conditioning for the year?

If the first batch of leaves drifting off their branches isn’t enough of a sign the seasons are changing, the slowly dipping mercury on your outdoor thermometer may be enough.

Sure the calendar may say we get a few more days of summer before the Autumnal Equinox on Sept. 22nd this year, but our recent roller coaster ride of 60s to 90s then back to 60s should convince you that Mother Nature can be very indecisive this time of year.

So you may be looking at that window AC unit wondering if it’s safe to put into storage. Never fear, I am here to help.  I looked back at the last ten Octobers searching for stretches of +80° weather (2 days or more) that would be much more enjoyable in the presence of Willis Carrier’s invention, ahh, that’s the air conditioner of course.

I found 5 of the last 10 Octobers brought one of these waves of summer.

2011 – Two days of low 80s ending Oct. 8th

2010 – Two of three days in the low 80s ending Oct. 10th

2007 – Four days of mid 80s ending Oct. 8th

2005 – Three days of mid 80s ending Oct. 5th.

2003 – Two days of low 80s ending Oct. 8th.

If recent history is any indicator of our upcoming October 2013, it looks like you’re safe to store or cover up your AC unit by the second week of October.

In fact the latest stretch of 80s in the last 30 years occurred on Oct. 12th and 13th in 1995. This was fitting since we just survived one of the hottest summers on record and were longing for autumn to settle in.

All this reminds me, I should probably fire up the furnace and just be sure it’s ready and tuned for its turn.