Article by-Lillelund Hunter
Your HVAC system is very valuable to your home and family. It keeps the air in your home clean and at a comfortable temperature. If you do not take proper care of it, it will cost your more in energy and repair down the road. Use these helpful tips to take good care of your HVAC system.
When a contractor gives you a list of references, be sure to make use of it. Call the people on the list and ask about the quality of the work, how closely they came to their quote and whether or not the work was completed according to the promised timeline.
Get any agreement with an HVAC contractor in writing. Some contractors try to skip over this step and charge customers a fortune. If you have a certain price and warranty in writing, they cannot go back and change this information. If they do, they could have a lawsuit on their hands.
If you have some problems with the HVAC system, check out your home before calling a contractor. While you are walking through the house, gauge which rooms are the coolest and which are the warmest. Give this information to your contractor when they arrive.
If your evaporator coil, found inside your home, becomes dirty, your unit will lose efficiency. Just pop off the front panel of the furnace and check to see that the coil is dry. Using a brush attachment on a vacuum, gently clean the coil of any dust or other debris.
If you have fans in place to help make your HVAC more efficient, be sure that they're turning in the right direction. They should be pushing air downwards over the people in the room to help cool their skin. If it's blowing upwards, all it does is push hot air into the room.
One of the most important things to consider when purchasing a new heating and cooling system is the manufacturer's warranty. Units come with a variety of warranties. Choose one with a long warranty for maximum long term savings. Generally, it is advised that homeowners should purchase the extended warranty if one is offered.
Condenser units for the outdoors should be shut off when it starts to get cold outside. To prevent damage, turn off your unit if the outside temperature is less than 60 degrees. This will allow your system to work well every year, and that saves you quite a bit on making repairs.
Manage the heat flow into your home with window coverings to help out your HVAC system. In the warmer months, use drapes, curtains and blinds to block out sunward facing windows to keep heat from building up through the greenhouse effect. Alternatively, make sure that sunlit windows are letting light and warmth in during the colder months.
Consider window air conditioners for your home if you are thinking about installing a central unit. Do you really need to cool your kitchen overnight? Do you have multiple floors with only one housing bedrooms? To efficiently and cheaply cool only where people are actually staying, window units are a great choice.
Icing up is common in air conditioners. Many times people think there is a plumbing leak, but instead the drain line has water that is frozen. Try switching to fan-mode and disabling your compressor to test whether the water is a leak or melting ice. This problem will need to be handled by a professional, even though the fan will probably help with the ice situation.
When you hear an odd clicking noise coming from your HVAC unit, you should immediately begin to look for any obstructions. Many times it could be debris hitting the cooling system fans. You just have to take out the obstruction and the problem is solved. Check the fan and coil before you waste time contacting a professional.
Don't let your house get too hot. It takes quite a while to cool a home by more than 20 degrees. If the temperature in your home reaches 100 degree Fahrenheit, it will only reduce it to 80 or more. Depending on the levels of humidity, that is not a safe temperature when it comes to sleeping or escaping from the heat of summer.
In order to save money overnight, buy an air conditioner with a switch that sets it to be fan-only. This will push hot air outside and bring in cool air from near the ground. Turn this on just before bed so that you can cool the house as you sleep.
Get
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/air-conditioning-parts-become-hard-to-find-due-to-covid-19 before agreeing to have any work done on your HVAC unit. This will help keep you from being surprised by a bill at the end. Any reputable technician should be able to look at your unit, determine the problem and give you an estimate as to how much it will cost to fix it.
Do not let the heat build up inside your home. Lighting,
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s486/sh/37706e27-3d53-00b6-ec67-21eb16a19a71/af2cfd30e5a16b9ce030e2f2c463610f and appliances are all common sources of heat inside the home. To prevent this excessive heat, do not put televisions or lamps close to your a/c's thermostat. These appliances make the a/c think that the house is hotter than it really is, causing the system to run longer than needed and wasting energy.
You should focus on finding an HVAC contractor that can offer you a warranty on the work they are doing. This is a sign that they are confident in their ability to get the job done well. This will protect you in the event that is not done right and needs to be fixed.
Make sure you wipe up any water that is close to the air intake of the vents of your HVAC system. Clean up any water that is standing around because water can cause mold to easily expand. Some water buildup is normal but if you're picking up water more than once every six months you might have a problem, so contact a HVAC technician.
When comparing quotes from multiple contractors, think carefully about those on the bottom of the price list. It's likely they didn't really look into your home deeply, or they're making promises they can't keep. Do they offer you a guarantee? Are they insured? Do they have a current licence in your state?
Every season inspect the outdoor condenser unit of your HVAC system. Remove any weeds and leaves that may be obstructing air flow to the unit. Hose off the inside and outside of the unit to remove any dirt build up. Cover the motor with plastic bags prior to rinsing the unit so that you do not get it wet.
Handling a faulty HVAC system represents a serious headache for any homeowner. The smartest homeowners will study their HVAC system prior to a problem ever occurring. Use the information in this article to assist you with your HVAC maintenance.