How will you know which system to purchase? What size do you purchase? What sort of features does it need? It can overwhelming to shop since so many new products and innovations.
Help the outside condenser fan run efficiently by cleaning the coils and fan blades before the summer starts. Always shut off all power to your unit for any work beyond superficial cleaning. Also, be sure to clear leaves and debris from your condenser unit.
If you’ve been having trouble with an HVAC system, do a tour of your house before you call in help. This information will help the contractor determine what the problem is and how to fix it.
Clean your condenser’s fan and coils when the weather begins to warm. Clean off any leaves or debris from your condenser unit.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coil in the spring. Make sure to turn off the fan’s power first to be safe. Then, take off the grill and get the blades out. Clean everything with care.
Clean the debris regularly. Debris can pile up at rates that increase during rainy or windy weather, bringing potential damage with it.It could overheat and cause your unit.
Turn the power off first so nothing moves. Then, pop off its grills, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
Putting in a programmable thermostat is a smart way to cut back on air-conditioning costs. In fact, you can save as much as 10 percent on both heating and cooling when you turn your thermostat by by 10-15 percent for at least 8 hours daily. Also, you can find a thermostat that is controllable from a computer or smart phone.
Put your outdoor unit in the shade.
Have the HVAC system serviced at least yearly. This should happen in the fall and again in the spring.
Do not allow your house to get extremely hot. Air conditioners can only really cool your home down 20 degrees or so within a reasonable time period. If the temperature in your home reaches 100 degree Fahrenheit, it will only reduce it to 80 or more. With high humidity, this is an unsafe temperature even for sleeping.
It is a good idea to replace single-paned windows for double pane ones. This also keeps warm in during the winter months.
Install a thermostat to save energy costs. Some programmable thermostats can even be controlled from your smart phone or computer.
Air conditioners occasionally freeze up, literally. This can also happen on the drain line. If this is something that’s happening to you, change the setting on your thermostat to the fan setting and this will disable the compressor. If the issue persists, call in help.
During this service visit, professionals can help by inspecting the system’s motor, oil the unit’s moving parts and ensure the unit has proper freon levels. These few simple things will keep your system to run at its peak performance.
Research the reputation of companies before hiring them. Check with the BBB and look for your situation. These simple steps are going to help to ensure your decision is a better decision.
Ask around so you can find a reputable HVAC contractor. People who have had a good experience are often happy to share the name of their contractor. This can also help you to figure out some names of businesses that you should avoid at all costs.
Look for calculators online to truly understand what size of unit is necessary for your home. Look in the manual to determine the recommended size for this information.
Companies that are well established have track records typically provide better service. It is always risky to hire a long history.
You should know the facing direction of your home for the most effective placement of the HVAC system. If you have trees placed in strategic areas, you can block the sunlight in the morning. Anything that provides shade from direct sunlight can reduce the temperature inside your home and help reduce your energy bill for air conditioning during warm months.
There are quite a few sites out there that allow customers talk about how they were treated by services. This is an excellent method provides you are interested in dealing with all the information you need to make the best hiring decisions.
Think about getting a radiant barrier in your attic so support the efficient functioning of your HVAC system can run better. It blocks outside heat from coming in which will make sure you won’t have to use more energy to keep your unit stays hot outside. You may even find that you can use your attic space more effectively.
You can’t get the most out of your HVAC unit, unless you have efficient windows and doors installed. All should be tightly sealed with no air getting inside or out. A professional can sometimes test these for you for free.
Check for duct leaks if you you feel your existing system is not be working efficiently. When the leaks are repaired, the tests will pay for themselves.
Measure the area that requires air conditioner shopping. You can figure out the unit you need by calculating 20 BTU for each square foot. If you need to cool multiple rooms, add together their square footage to reach this calculation.
Replace the air filter to keep your HVAC system working well. That’s the easiest thing to do so your unit continues running in good shape. Filters are inexpensive, so there is no excuse for not doing it.
You can sometimes get overwhelmed when picking out a good HVAC system. This article has made your choice easy. Spend some time re-reading this advice and make good use of it when you start making decisions about keeping your house comfortable.