How are you to know what type of system to purchase? What size do you purchase? What features will you need? It can overwhelming to shop since so many new products and innovations.
If you are having issues with your HVAC, do a tour of your house before you call in help. Jot down the rooms that are hot and the ones that are cold. You can then relay this information to the technician so that they can more easily figure out what the problem is.
If your HVAC system is acting up, take a look around the house prior to calling a contractor. This information will help the repairman determine where the problem is and how to fix it.
Know what work you want done before you hire a contractor. It will be difficult for a contractor to give you a price estimate on the phone without knowing what your current setup is. It will be more difficult for him to assist you can’t figure out what they need to do.
The coils and blades on the fans should be cleaned once a year. Before you begin cleaning the unit, make sure that it is unplugged. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
Turn it off so you don’t get hurt or break something. Next, pop off the grill, put the blades out and start to gently clean them along with the unit.
Don’t let grass clippings on your outdoor condenser. Aim the grass in a direction from the unit. This applies to leaf blowing and any other yard work that results in the yard.
Lubricate your condenser yearly if it has oil ports. You’ll see that the ports here are closed with a rubber or metal cap. Use SAE 20 oil that is lightweight and detergent free, and put ten drops or fewer into each one. Make sure not to overfill them.
Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when your trees start to lose leaves. Make sure you clean out your fan grill often during the fall. The fan must stay clear in order to function, and if it is clogged, it could cause your system to break down.
10 Drops
If you are a home owner, replace whatever single pane windows you have with more efficient double-paned versions. To keep your home cool, investing in double pane windows is a must. This will help you save a lot of money.
Lubricate the oil ports on your condenser at least once each year. You can easily find these ports covered with rubber or metal cap. Use a lightweight, and put 10 drops or fewer in each port, putting 10 drops in each port.
Put your outdoor unit in the shade.
Don’t let your home get too hot. Air conditioners are limited in that they can only reduce the indoor temperature 20 degrees Fahrenheit in a reasonable time limit. If your home happens to get near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, then you will only be able to reasonably cool to around 80. Depending on the levels of humidity, that is not a safe temperature when it comes to sleeping or escaping from the heat of summer.
Have your heating and cooling system checked twice a year at the least. This should be done in the fall and the spring.
Turn off your outdoor condenser units when it’s getting cold. This should turn it off to prevent damage if the weather falls under 60 degrees Farenheit. This can keep your system working for years to come.
It can be confusing to figure out what the correct HVAC system size is for your home, but you can solve this with the help of a sizing calculator. While you might think that a larger HVAC system is always better, in fact, larger systems sometimes are not the best choice for a particular space. Look in the manual or on the manufacturer website for this information.
A programmable thermostat can help save money on your air conditioning costs. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from a PC or other device.
Air conditioners sometimes ice up at times. The drain line might also freeze up.If you see this, disable the compressor by turning your thermostat to the fan only setting. You can call a HVAC professional, even if switching it to its fan setting starts making the ice melt.
Think about getting a radiant barrier in your attic so your HVAC system can run better. It will block the heat and lower the energy necessary to keep your home cool in the summertime. If you install the unit properly, you can even begin to use the attic as a bedroom as it will be so comfortable!
Ask friends and relations for contractor recommendations. People that have gotten great work done are usually more than willing to share the information they know about it. This will also help you with good information on which contractors you should avoid at all costs.
It can be overwhelming to find a HVAC system. Ideally, you learned some information to assist you in your selection. Take your time to go over these tips if you need to again, and be sure you use them when you’re doing things in the future so it can help you to be more comfortable.
If your system doesn’t seem to be working efficiently, check your ducts for leaks. Your utility company can test this for you, oftentimes at no charge. If not, it should be less expensive than a HVAC contractor. When you repair the leaks, the tests will pay for themselves.