It might seem like there’s lots to learn about HVAC. This doesn’t have to be the case, though, if you just know that you need to take some time to follow this advice. This advice will help even the novice when it comes to simple repairs on your HVAC system.
Before contacting a repair service, do a short tour of the entire home. While you are walking through the house, gauge which rooms are the coolest and which are the warmest. This will help the repairman determine what the problem is.
Know the name and type of system you currently have before looking for a repair person. This will ensure that you can give your new contractor any information they might need.
Know what you need before you select an HVAC contractor. It will be hard for an HVAC contractor to give you with an estimate on the phone if they have not seen your current setup is. It will be more hard if you can’t figure out what they need to do.
Don’t hire a contractor until you know a little about what you are facing. This is necessary so that they can give you a quote before doing any work. It can be harder if you don’t know what’s wrong. Be sure to find this out ahead of time.
Clean your fan and coils come spring. Clean the outdoor condenser unit regularly.
Clean any debris that accumulates on your condenser units. You never know when things can pile up, especially after a windy or rainy storm, and that can ruin your system. It can also cause the unit to overheat and break down.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coils come spring. Always make sure you shut off the power before you do any work on the unit other than superficial cleaning. In addition, always remove all debris such as leaves from the outside condenser unit.
Turn it off so you don’t get hurt or break something. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and begin cleaning the unit and them gently.
Grass Clippings
If your unit is outdoors, clean them regularly. You can never tell when things will pile up, especially following rain or wind storms. These can wreak havoc on your units. Left unchecked, your unit is more likely to break down.
Don’t get grass clippings pile up against your outdoor condenser. Direct the grass clippings away from the equipment. This applies when you are taking care of the leaves in debris.
It is always a good idea to replace single-paned windows with ones that have double panes. This same effect also keeps warm air during the winter months.
Each spring, clean the fan blades and coils on your condenser. First, make sure the power is off to ensure nothing moves while you are working. Then, take off the grill and get the blades out. Clean everything with care.
When they come out for a service visit, oil the parts that move, moving parts well oiled and the level of freon adjusted if necessary. These simple tasks will help keep your HVAC system running at peak performance.
Don’t allow your house get too hot. Air conditioners can cool a home down about 20 degrees in a short time. So, if your home temp reaches 100 degrees, you won’t see the temperature go below 75 for a while.This won’t be a safe and comfortable temperature for you to sleep in.
As the leaves are falling off the trees, your HVAC system can really take a hit. Clean outdoor units often to remove leaves. The fan needs unobstructed air flow, and if debris is blocking this air flow, then your system could suffer.
Ask your friends and trust for their HVAC contractor recommendations. People who have had great service are often happy to share the name of it. This will also be used to see who you should avoid.
There are a lot of sites that let customers share their service experiences. This is a good way to locate contractors that you wish to work with and ones that you don’t.
Look for shade when placing a compressor outdoors. The cooler air that the unit can suck in, the less work it will need to do to further cool the air.
Contractors determine their own fee levels, so make sure that you acquire multiple estimates. You can save quite a lot of money when you call different companies for price quotes. You want to get quotes from at least a handful of contractors to determine what you should be paying.
Think about getting a radiant barrier installed in your attic so support the efficient functioning of your HVAC system. It blocks outside heat from coming in which will serve as a barrier between your home cool when it’s hot outside. You could even find that you can use your attic as part of your living space more effectively.
Put your outdoor unit in places with shade. If the air your machine draws in is already cooler, it will require less energy to regulate before it’s filtered into your home.
That shouldn’t have been too hard for you to follow if HVAC is something you’re ready to get into. You should be able to keep the HVAC system functioning properly using the tips you’ve read above. Use these tips wisely, and you can’t go wrong.