It is very frustrating to return home to find that your HVAC has broken down. The following tips are great for helping you in this process.
Check the whole house before you call for help. Determine which rooms are hotter or colder than they should be. That will help your repairman figure out where the problem is, and how he can fix it easily and quickly.
Know the name and type of system before looking for a repair person. This will enable you know that you’re able to give your chosen contractor any information that can help them.
Know what you want done before you hire a contractor. It will be difficult for a contractor to provide you with an estimate over 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.
Before choosing a HVAC company find out what the company offers. A contractor will not be able to give you an accurate price without accurate information about your system. They also won’t be able to offer you a quote if they don’t have a detailed idea of what you want done. So, have this information ready.
Clean your fan blades and coils come spring. Clean the outdoor condenser unit regularly.
Turn it off so nothing moves.Next, pop off the grill, put the blades out and start to gently clean them along with the unit.
Before the summer you should clean out your condenser fan’s blades and coils. Prior to working on or cleaning the unit, be sure to turn off the power. Leaves and debris can build up inside the unit and cause damage.
Sae 20 Oil
Lubricate your condenser once each year. You can find these ports have a rubber or metal cap covering them. Use SAE 20 oil that is non-detergent and lightweight, detergent-free SAE 20 oil, but make sure to avoid overfilling them.
When you are cutting the grass, be sure not to cover your outdoor units with clippings. Make sure the grass does not get in your unit. This applies when you are taking care of the leaves in the yard.
Put your outdoor condensers in the shade.
Your HVAC system should be checked a few times per each year. This should be checked often for debris and again in the spring.
It’s a good idea to put your outdoor compressor in a shady area. The cooler air that the unit can suck in, the less work it will need to do to further cool the air.
Turn off any outdoor condenser units when weather turns cold. This means that you should turn it off to prevent damage if the temperature drops below 60ºF to avoid damage. This will help keep it in good working order.
It is always a good idea to replace single-paned windows for double pane ones. This also keeps warm air during the winter months.
Make sure your HVAC unit is in the shade. When the air conditioner pulls in cooler air, it won’t have to do much more to cool it and that will save you a lot of money on energy bills.
A programmable thermostat can really help save money on air conditioning costs. Some programmable thermostats can even be controlled from a PC or computer.
During the visit, the system motor will be inspected, oil the unit’s moving parts and ensure the unit has proper freon levels. These simple tasks will boost the performance of your HVAC system running smoothly.
A programmable thermostat can really help you out when it comes to your power bills. These can save you around 10 percent on your heating and cooling costs by just turning it back 10 percent to 15 percent for around eight hours each day. Take advantage of the convenience of the ability to control many programable thermostats from your favorite electronic device.
Never let your home reach a dangerously high level. An AC unit is really only able to reduce the internal temperature by twenty degrees in a fair time. If your home happens to get near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, cooling it will only drop the temperature to 80 degrees F. This is not a healthy environment to live in.
There are quite a lot of sites now that allow customers to share their experiences with contractors. This is a good way to locate contractors that do good work with and those that you don’t.
If you want your energy costs to go down, have the heating an cooling system you own serviced every year at least. During service the technician will check the motor and refill the system fluids. All of these little jobs will add up to big savings in energy use, with the improved efficiency.
Contractors determine their own fee levels, so make sure that you acquire multiple estimates. You can save some cash simply by doing your homework. You want to call at least a handful of contractors to find out what reasonable rates are.
Are you looking into getting a new heating and cooling system? There are many things you must consider first. Systems have ratings according to the total area they effectively cool and heat. You are better off purchasing a unit that is slightly too large for your needs than a smaller one.
Don’t allow your home to become dangerously hot. Air conditioners really can only cool a home down about 20 degrees Fahrenheit within a reasonable amount of time. If your home happens to get near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, then you will only be able to reasonably cool to around 80. If humidity is high, this temp is still unsafe for people.
If your HVAC system is producing any type of clicking sounds, look for blockages right away. Often the issue is some sort of debris hitting the fans in the cooling system. Look at this prior to calling in a technician.
Hvac System
Icing up is common in air conditioners. Sometimes the drain line will freeze, causing leaks. If this happens, put your thermostat over to fan. The fan setting can help melt some of the ice, but you should still call a professional to check your unit out.
The above tips should help you maximize the functioning of your HVAC system. You will not be happy if your HVAC unit has malfunctioned. It becomes even less fun when you factor in the costs of repairing it. By using the above information, you can prevent this from happening. Remember these tips to help you maintain your HVAC system.