At your home a key element is how it is being cooled and heated. That is why it is important to keep your HVAC system healthy. If you have a poor HVAC, you will be costing yourself a lot of money. Use these helpful tips to maintain your HVAC system in tip-top shape.
Before you ever begin looking for an HVAC contractor, first consider the entire job that you’ll need completed. A contractor will not be able to give you an accurate price without accurate information about your system. Getting an estimate will be even more difficult if you cannot adequately describe the problem. Understand this information beforehand.
Clean your fan blades and coils each spring to ensure that your condenser fan operates at it’s best. Always shut the power off before doing any work or cleaning on the unit. Leaves and debris can build up inside the unit and cause damage.
Clean the debris off your outdoor condenser unit. After a wind or rain storm things may pile up, causing problems with your HVAC system. It may even overheat, which can ruin your system.
When you cut the grass, make sure your mower isn’t tossing clippings toward your outdoor units. Make sure the grass does not get in your unit. This also applies to leaf blowing and any other yard work that results in debris.
Leaves falling from trees can wreak havoc with your HVAC unit. Make certain you are cleaning the fan grill often if trees nearby have leaves that are falling. Because the fan requires a clear path for air to enter, you may encounter issues with your system if the fan gets blocked up.
Lubricate your fan condenser if it has oil ports. You will see rubber or metal caps covering the ports. Choose a SAE 20 oil whch is lightweight and non-detergent and place 10 drops or less into each port, ensuring it doesn’t overfill.
A good place to place your compressor unit outside is in a shady spot. When your unit is bringing in cool air, it will not have to work as hard to cool the air as it moves it inside, boosting efficiency.
To boost the efficiency of your HVAC system, you should put your unit in a shady place. When your unit sucks in cooler air, then much less is required to cool it further, which saves you money on energy bills.
Have your heating and cooling system inspected twice a year. Your system should be inspected in Spring and Fall. Even if you can’t see anything wrong, checking it may help you locate and repair some possible issues.
Installing double paned windows can save a lot of money over single panes, so upgrade if you are able. Having double pane windows allows your air conditioning unit to be run much less during the summer, because the cool air is kept inside the home. Conversely, they keep warm air in during the winter.
If you are going to be gone during the day or on vacation, turn the temperature up on your air conditioning unit. With the system off, the house will only heat up to a certain temperature. It will use more electricity if you keep it running.
Do not allow your house to get extremely hot. AC units will only cool a house down 20 degrees. So, if your home temp reaches 100 degrees, your air conditioning will only bring that temp down to about 80 degrees. While it depends on the humidity, this is not safe for a human to sleep in to recover from the heat of the summer.
Shop around before hiring an HVAC contractor. Check reputations at the BBB, and read online reviews to gauge customer satisfaction. These simple steps will help make a better decision.
Sometimes, air conditioners collect ice. Freezes also occur in your drain line. These freezes are easily confused as leaks to the untrained eye. Turn your unit to the fan setting to turn off the compressor. Once you know the problem, contact a local HVAC professional and let them know what’s going on in your system.
Always check to see how long a company or contractor has been working for. Companies that are established have been proven, and you can use their track record to to determine if they provide good service. Hiring a new contractor means taking a bigger risk.
Do you want to find a quality HVAC? Many considerations must be scrutinized. Each system has a rating and that rating tells the area that can be effectively temperature controlled. It is better to purchase a slightly larger than needed unit, rather than a slightly smaller than needed unit.
Your doors and windows need to be as efficient as the HVAC system you use. Your windows and doors should all be tightly sealed. Double pane windows are a great idea. It is wise to hire someone to test them out, and this often costs nothing.
Square Footage
Take a measuring tape and get the square footage of the area where the unit will be cooling. Typically, 20 BTUs are required per square foot. Add the square footage for multiple rooms together.
When you engage a contractor, request references. Ask these references if the job was what they expected, if it was done in a timely manner and on budget. If you check references carefully, you can avoid being scammed.
Now you know just how to get a quality HVAC system. Paying close attention to maintenance will help you avoid problems. Use the tips from above to keep it going strong, so you don’t come home one day to find your place too hot or too cold.