The comfort of one’s home depends on a properly functioning HVAC system. Without the cool air during summer or the warm air during winter, life is much less comfortable. If your HVAC system fails, however, it can be a nightmare. It is important to learn proper HVAC maintenance, and in the article below you will find out how to do that.
Before you contact people to assist you in getting your system fixed, know what kind of system you’re working with in the first place. Write down the make, model, and any maintenance history. This will let you know that you’re able to give the contractor the information that can help them.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coils come spring. Except when you do superficial cleaning, you need to always make sure the power is off on the unit. Leaves and debris can build up inside the unit and cause damage.
If there are condenser units as part of your HVAC system, clean them often as they tend to have lots of debris. After a wind or rain storm things may pile up, causing problems with your HVAC system. Debris like this can cause it to overheat, which could be detrimental to your system.
The coils and blades on the fans should be cleaned once a year. Be sure to turn the power off first; you don’t want anything to move. After you have turned the power off, you simply remove the grill and the blades to perform a gentle cleansing.
Put your outdoor unit in places with shade. This will help you save on your energy bill.
Have your heating and cooling system inspected twice a year. The fall and spring are the optimal times for this maintenance. Even if you can’t see anything wrong, checking it may help you locate and repair some possible issues.
If you can, install double-paned windows throughout your home. Double pane windows will help keep your home cooler in the summer. This also works during the cold months to keep the warm air inside.
Make sure that your AC is turned off when you are not using it. When you turn the air conditioner off, the house may heat up a little but only a certain amount. When the AC is left running, your power bill will go up quite a bit.
Don’t let your home get too hot. Even the best air conditioners can only realistically cool your home approximately 20 degrees Farenheit. A home that is over one hundred degrees will only be cooled to around eighty. When you factor in humidity, this can still be dangerously hot for the human body at rest.
Sometimes air conditioners will ice up. Sometimes the drain line will freeze, causing leaks. If this is something you notice, switch the thermostat in your home to fan only so the compressor is disabled. Once you know the problem, contact a local HVAC professional and let them know what’s going on in your system.
Now that you’re done reading this article, you understand how important it is to have a properly maintained HVAC system. If you don’t take care of it, it will fail. Luckily, this article has provided you with the information you need to make sure that your HVAC unit works right.