When it comes to the comfort of your home, the way in which it is heated and cooled is critical. To ensure that this continues to happen, it’s important to care for the system properly. A lack of care brings about a higher risk of running into costly troubles and a system that stops working correctly. There are many useful tips and tricks within this article you can use to keep your home’s HVAC healthy.
Think about what improvements you want made before picking an HVAC contractor. If you can’t describe the problem, you may not get an accurate quote. Being unable to explain what has been already done will make it even harder. Thus, it is worthwhile to have this knowledge ahead of time.
You should clean your condenser fan’s blades and coils every spring. Turn the power off so nothing moves. After you have turned the power off, you simply remove the grill and the blades to perform a gentle cleansing.
Do not allow grass clippings to cover the outdoor unit of your HVAC system. Get the grass shot away from your unit. This same tip applies when you are blowing fallen leaves around the yard. Grass and leaves pose a serious problem for the internal functioning of your unit.
Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when your trees lose leaves. Cleaning your unit is very important for its effectiveness. An obstruction, such as a leaf, prevents the maximum amount of cool air from entering the system.
Put your outdoor unit in places with shade. As it brings in cool air to cool, you will save a lot of money.
Be sure to have twice annual HVAC system checks. This should happen in the fall and the spring. You should have it looked at even if no problems are occurring; there could still be a problem or potential problem.
Turn off any outdoor condensers you have when the weather gets cold. If you get into temperatures that are less than 60 degrees you need the unit to be shut off so it doesn’t get damaged. This will keep your system in working order year after year, saving you a ton on repairs.
Have a smart thermostat installed. With this device installed, it can help you save money on your energy bills by you having the power to regulate the temperature throughout the day. This will save you a lot of money during the year.
Make sure to have your unit serviced once a year. Make sure the person takes a look at the motor and examines the levels of freon. Small problems can occur in any of these areas and lead to serious issues if ignored for too long.
Sometimes air conditioners will ice up. You may even mistake the frozen drains as an issue for a plumber. Try switching to fan-mode and disabling your compressor to test whether the water is a leak or melting ice. Get a professional to deal with this, even if you see the ice start melting because you turned the compressor off.
To know how large of an air conditioner you need, look for a calculator online. If you get something that’s too big, it won’t work as well for you in the end. Check your manual to figure out what the rating is from the manufacturer to be sure you’re getting the right information.
Ask for helpful information when you are looking for a HVAC contractor. People who’ve had great service are usually willing to tell of it. This can also be used to see who you should avoid.
Figure out which direction your home faces in order to make your HVAC system more efficient. If trees are placed strategically, you can block morning sunlight that can overheat the house. If there is less heat coming into your home, then your air conditioning unit won’t have to work as hard.
Make sure that your doors and windows are efficient. Be sure that they’re sealed well so that air from the outside or inside doesn’t come in or escape. You can hire a professional to test them all for you and often this testing is free.
Be sure the HVAC contractor you pick is fast and knowledgeable. The best companies out there have technicians that keep a schedule and their appointments too. Good technicians are also able to diagnose issues quickly. After diagnosis, they should then know how to deal with the problem.
Before you hire someone to do work with an HVAC system they need to tell you about the experience they’ve had in the past. You need to verify they have the type of experience needed to work on your particular system. Less experienced workers could work out just fine, but you really shouldn’t take any chances.
Make sure to get references when hiring your contractor. You should know that the contractor does exactly what he says he’s going to do, and there are no hidden costs involved. That way, you can avoid scammers more easily.
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand more about your HVAC system. Be sure to stay on top of your maintenance work. These tips will help you to maintain your unit and avoid breakdowns.