The comfort of your home has a lot to do with whether or not it is being heated or cooled properly. That means your HVAC system healthy. If you aren’t taking care of your system, you can expect costly repairs and miserable living conditions. Here are some tips to get you out.
Always make sure you are up-to-date about your HVAC unit. Write down what brand your system is along with the model number and, if they’re available, maintenance records. This will help you give the new contractor the necessary information.
Know the name and type of your HVAC system you currently have before looking for a repair person. This will enable you know that you’re able to give your chosen contractor the information that can help them.
If you’ve been having trouble with an HVAC system, tour your home before calling a technician. This information will help the repairman determine where the problem is and how to fix it.
Before you hire an HVAC contractor, have some sort of idea of the work that needs to be done. This is necessary so that they can give you a quote before doing any work. Getting an estimate will be even more difficult if you cannot adequately describe the problem. Having this information handy will make the process much smoother.
Know what work you need before you hire a contractor. It will be difficult for an HVAC contractor to give you with an estimate on the phone if they have not seen your current system. It will be way more hard if you over the phone without the information readily available.
Be sure to clean debris from external condenser units. You don’t know when things are going to pile up, like right after it’s windy or rains, and that can throw a wrench in your system. It will damage the system to malfunction by overheating.
If you have condenser units outside your home, be sure to clean out the debris from them often. Leaves and debris can accumulate quickly, particularly following storms, and that can cause problems for your system. It may begin to overheat, causing massive damage.
Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when your trees start to lose their leaves. Make sure the fan’s grill is cleaned frequently when the leaves begin to fall. The fan must stay clear in order to function, and if it becomes blocked, it could cause your system to break down.
Make sure you have your HVAC system checked twice a year. This should be checked often for debris and the spring.
Make sure your condenser fan is in good working order by wiping down the fan blades and the coils. Before you get started, cut the power. Next, pop off the grill, pull out the blades and start cleaning them and the unit itself off gently.
It is a good idea to swap out single pane windows with ones that have double pane ones. This will also keeps warm air in during the winter months.
A programmable thermostat can help you save money on air conditioning costs. Some programmable thermostats can even be controlled from a PC or computer.
When you are cutting the grass, be sure not to cover your outdoor units with clippings. Aim the grass clippings in the other direction. 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.
Don’t allow your home temperature get dangerously hot. Air conditioners really can only cool your home down a home by 20 degrees. If your home become 100F or more, cooling it will only drop the temperature to 80 degrees F. This is not a healthy environment to live in.
Air conditioners tend to ice up.The drain line may also freeze over. If this is something that’s happening to you, disable the compressor by switching the thermostat to run the fan only. You should call a pro to fix this problem, but switching to the fan setting should start to melt the ice.
Your HVAC system could suffer when trees begin dropping their leaves. Make sure the unit’s fan grill is cleaned frequently when the leaves begin to fall. When the fan becomes obstructed, you will lose out on quality air.
Companies with proven track record that you can use to decide if they are worth the time and money. It is always risky to hire a long history.
There are a few sites now that let customers talk about their experiences with different services. This method of finding contractors that you with all the information you want to avoid.
If you are choosing where to place your outdoor compressor device, try to put it in a place where there is plenty of shade. If the unit is taking in cooler air, the efficiency will be boosted since it will not need to work as hard.
Think about having a radiant barrier installed in your attic so your HVAC system can run better. It ensures that your home cool when it’s hot or cold as it should be. You could even find that you can use your attic space more effectively.
Are you thinking of getting a new HVAC system? You need to take a few important things. Systems get rated according to how large an area they effectively heat or cool. You are wise to err on the side of a bigger unit that is slightly too large for your needs than a smaller one.
To increase the efficiency of your HVAC unit, be sure to keep it in the shade. As you get your air conditioner to suck in cool air it won’t have to do too much work to cool it which saves you some money.
Now you will be able to take good care of your HVAC system. Don’t allow things to go bad because you don’t pay attention to doing maintenance. Use the suggestions given above so you don’t find one day that your home is either too cold or too hot.