A comfortable home starts with a working HVAC system. The heat in the winter and cool air in the summer are very refreshing to come home to. If an HVAC system should fail, it will become a nightmare for those without experience. These tips will help you master some very simple HVAC maintenance strategies to prevent this nightmare from occurring.
What system do you have? You need this information to tell your contractor. Get the brand, model name, and if you can you should get the maintenance history out. In this way, you can be sure your repair person has all vital information.
Check the whole house before you call for help. Pay attention to which areas of the house are warm and which ones are cool. That knowledge can help the technician figure out what is going on.
The coils and blades on the fans should be cleaned once a year. Turn the power off so nothing moves. Then, remove the grill, then remove the blades and begin the cleaning process of the blades and the unit.
As you notice the tress begin to lose their leaves, keep an eye on your outdoor condenser unit. Make sure you clean out your fan grill often once nearby trees start shedding their leaves. The air needs to be unobstructed into the fan, and any blockages create performance issues for the whole system.
Pane Windows
If possible, your single pane windows should be replaced with double-paned ones. To keep your home cool, investing in double pane windows is a must. Your home will also stay warmer in the winter.
One way to save some money with A/C is by having a programmable thermostat installed. If you adjust it to keep the house a little warmer or a little cooler during the time you are sleeping, you may see your energy bill go down by as much as ten percent. Furthermore, there are a few programmable thermostats that you can control from your computer or any other web-connected device.
Sometimes, air conditioning units ice up. There are also occasional freezes in the drain line, which are often confused for plumbing leaks. Turn your unit to the fan setting to turn off the compressor. You should call a pro to fix this problem, even if switching it to its fan setting starts making the ice melt.
There are sizing calculators available to determine the proper sized system for your home. Buying a unit that is too large for your home is a poor decision that wastes money. Any unit’s manual will be able to give you an accurate idea for the size of the unit versus your home.
Before you go out there and hire an HVAC contractor, find out the length of time they’ve been in the industry. Fly-by-night companies are those you want to avoid. If you choose to hire a new contractor, you may be risking things.
Use recommendations when you are looking for a contractor. Anyone that has previously needed work done on their HVAC unit are more than happy to tell you their experiences. This will also provide you with good information on which contractors you should avoid hiring.
If you aren’t sure who to call for HVAC maintenance, repairs, or installation, look online for reviews. Many online sites permit customers to let others know about their experiences with various services and contractors. This is useful for finding people that you wish to work with and those that you don’t.
Are you thinking of getting a cooling and heating system that’s new? You should first think about several things. An HVAC system gets its rating by how effective it will heat and cool an area. Getting a unit that’s a little larger than you need will be better than getting one that’s smaller.
Now that you have read this article, you understand that it is imperative that you keep your HVAC unit working well. When you decide to postpone mandatory maintenance, small problems will quickly become big nightmares. Thankfully you found this article, and now you’re able to use the awesome tips here to assist you in figuring out what to do with your HVAC system.