How is your home coping this summer? Here are some tips to beat the heat, for both for family safety and energy bill savings, from ARS/Rescue Rooter.

Air conditioners are designed for about a 20-degree change in temperature. This means that 90-degree air will be cooled to 70 degrees. Don't allow the interior of your home to become dangerously hot since the air conditioner cannot cool it down within a reasonable amount of time.

Have a clean air-conditioner filter and change it every month. By doing this, you can help ensure that your family is breathing cleaner air and your HVAC system is not being overworked, thus potentially saving energy and money.

In the summer, outdoor activities, like Little League baseball games and picnics, tend to cause plenty of dirty clothing. Because of this increased need for cleaning, be sure to check your washing machine hoses for bulges, leaks or cracks, and be sure to remove drier lint regularly. Also, move your machine at least four inches from the wall to prevent hose kinking and damage, and never leave your home while the washer is running. Don't forget that washing machine hoses should be replaced approximately every three years.

Always run your ceiling fans to stay cooler in the summertime. Check your fans to ensure they are going in the correct direction. In the summer, your fan should be set on "forward," which means the blades are rotating counter-clockwise. There is a switch on the base where you can control this. By moving your fan setting to the forward position, you will receive a nice downward breeze keeping you cool.

This is the time of year when your air conditioning system works its hardest. Regular tune-ups reduce your risk of experiencing common malfunctions.

A professional inspection should include:

••Checking and cleaning of your entire system, including outdoor air conditioning unit.

••Analyzing pressure, temperatures, motors and controls.

••Checking, cleaning and calibrating the thermostat.

••Lubricating motors where necessary.

••Checking air handler, bearings and blower motor.

••Inspecting and cleaning condenser coil.

••Inspecting condenser fan, motor and blades.

When the weather becomes very humid, duct work may sweat and condensate. This can cause a backup if the drains are not clear.

Leaks in the seams can also cause condensation. If you have an attic installation, be sure there is no water in the drain pan. If there is water, call for help as it could save your ceiling.

With friends and family over for summertime backyard cookouts and other get-togethers, be careful of what you are putting down your kitchen disposal. Most are not equipped to handle celery, banana peels, cornhusks and other fibrous or "stringy" foods. Also, keep out fats or cooking oils because they form clots within the pipes.

Also, make sure you run cold water at full pressure for 15 seconds, before and after you put anything down the disposal, to make sure it all gets flushed through. Any instant stuffing, potato mixes or similar "just-add-water" foods should never be put down the drain. Once water from the faucet touches these foods, they expand, become hardened and create messy clogs.

Many homeowners and their families plan to take vacations during the summer. When leaving for an extended period of time, be sure to turn down the temperature of your water heater to help save money and energy.

Turning up the temperature of your refrigerator can also help save energy while you're away. If you plan to do this, be sure to remove highly perishable foods, like dairy products, produce and meat. Other less perishable items, like condiments, will still remain edible with the refrigerator temperature set to "low."

Don't let your home retain any more heat than necessary. Appliances, electronic devices and lighting are all common sources of internal heat gain.

To combat this excess heat, avoid putting lamps or televisions near your air conditioner's thermostat. These heat-exuding appliances will cause the air conditioner to think the house is warmer than it really is. This results in the system running longer than necessary and wasted energy.

Air-conditioner freezing is a fairly common problem. In addition, the air conditioner drain line can freeze, back up and cause a leak, which is often confused for a plumbing leak.

When this happens, immediately turn off your compressor by switching your thermostat over to fan. As the ice starts to melt, make sure you have proper drainage and call a professional. There are many things that can restrict airflow, including dirty coils and poorly designed ductwork. A professional can check them all and get to the root of the problem.

Keep heat out of your home by closing blinds, shades and draperies that cover windows facing the sun. This means closing coverings on east-facing windows in the morning and closing coverings on west-facing windows in the afternoon. Also, by installing shades or blinds that are white in color, you can reflect heat away from the house. This will keep you cooler and save energy.

Keep your outdoor air conditioning unit cooler by planting trees or shrubs that allow air to flow around unit. By properly shading the area, your system can perform up to 10 percent more efficiently. Also, be sure the landscaping isn't too close to the unit, so a technician can service it easily when necessary.

Sewer line backups are common this time of year due to summer rain water entering sewer pipes via cracks. New tree root growth from the spring can also cause sewer backup issues as roots are drawn toward the sewer line as a source of nutrition.

Roots aren't the only thing that block the pipe. Other objects, like toilet paper, latch onto the roots causing further blockage. Have a plumber inspect your sewer line pipes to let you know if you are susceptible to a sewer line backup problem or if damage has already occurred.