
It can be difficult for many homeowners to understand where to turn when the HVAC system begins to fail. To prevent real inconvenience and misery, it is best for any homeowner to get acquainted with this topic. The thrust of this article is to assist homeowners in getting the help they need.
Know what type of your HVAC system before looking for a repair person.This will facilitate the process when your contractor you hire to repair it.
Know the name and type of your HVAC system before looking for a repair person. Write down the make, model, and any maintenance history. This will facilitate the process when your contractor asks for this information.
If problems arise with the HVAC system, take a look around the house prior to calling a contractor. This will help the contractor determine where the problem is and how to fix it.
Know what you want done before you hire a contractor. It will be hard for an HVAC contractor to give you a price 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.
If your HVAC system is acting up, take a tour of the house prior to calling a professional. Note which of your rooms are hot and which are cold. This will help the repairman determine what the problem is.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coils each spring to ensure that your condenser fan operates at it’s best. Clean off any leaves or debris from your condenser unit regularly.
Clean any debris that accumulates on an external condenser units. Debris can pile up after a storm, and this can foul up the inner workings of your system.It could overheat and cause your unit.
Before you hire an HVAC contractor, have some sort of idea of the work that needs to be done. If you can’t describe the problem, you may not get an accurate quote. It will be way more hard if you can’t figure out what they need to do. It’s a good idea to learn this information in advance.
Grass Clippings
Don’t get grass clippings on your outdoor condenser. Aim your grass clippings in a direction away from your unit. This applies to leaf blowing and any other yard work that results in debris.
Clean the fan blades and coils on the condenser fan every spring. Turn the power off so nothing moves. Take the grill off and pull the blades out to clean them.
Lubricate your condenser if it has oil ports. You can easily find the ports have a rubber or metal cap. Use a lightweight, and put 10 drops or fewer in each port, but make sure to avoid overfilling them.
Put outdoor unit in the shade.
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.
Be sure you have twice annual HVAC unit in your home checked about two times every year. This should happen in the fall and again in the spring.
It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows with ones that have double panes. This also helps keep it warm in during the winter months.
To increase the efficiency of your HVAC unit, be sure to keep it in the shade. If your air conditioner is able to constantly suck in cool air, it won’t have to work overtime to cool your space, which can in turn save you money on your electricity bills.
Don’t let your home temperature get too hot. An AC unit will reduce the temperature of your home approximately twenty degrees in a short time span. If your home become 100F or more, then you will only be able to reasonably cool to around 80. This won’t be a safe and comfortable temperature for you to sleep in.
Companies with proven track records that can help you decide if they’re worth your money and time. Hiring a new contractor may be taking a bigger risk.
Have your heating and cooling system inspected twice a year. The fall and spring are the optimal times for this maintenance. Regular inspection will help you avoid unexpected repairs.
Check the ducts to find any leaks if your unit seems to not be working efficiently. When you repair the leaks, the testing will pay for itself in energy savings.
Figure out the direction your home faces in order to make your HVAC system can work better. The less heat, the less you’ll have to use your air conditioner to cool things off.
If the house is yours or you’re permitted to, replace the windows that are single pane with windows that are double pane. Double pane windows help minimize your air conditioning use in the summer by keeping the cooler air inside your home. Conversely, this also works to keep warm air in during colder months.
If your HVAC system is producing any type of clicking sounds, look for blockages right away. Often it is being caused by debris hitting fans in the cooling system. Check this out before you waste time contacting a contractor.
Make sure they have tight seals to keep air can’t seep in. You can also hire someone to test things and a lot of the time the testing costs nothing.
To choose an HVAC contractor that’s trustworthy, take time to research some companies you’re interested in, along with their reputations. You may also want to check with the BBB for information. Doing this can help you make a better decision.
Replace the air filter to keep your HVAC system every month. This is an easy thing to do and it keeps the system running at maximum efficiency.
Pick HVAC companies that understands the unit and can work quickly. The most reliable companies make sure their technicians will always be on schedule and keep appointments. The technicians need to also be able to diagnose problems in your HVAC unit quickly. After they figure out what is causing the problem, it’s just a matter of time before they have it back and running properly.
Air conditioners occasionally freeze up, literally. Freezes also occur in your drain line. These freezes are easily confused as leaks to the untrained eye. If this is something you notice, switch the thermostat in your home to fan only so the compressor is disabled. It’s a good idea to call up professionals to help with this even though you can get the ice to melt when you switch everything to the fan.
If you can only put it into a corner, be sure you’re getting a unit that has air flow coming from a direction that’s not facing the wall.
Any HVAC contractor you hire should have an emergency hotline. They should be there when you need them, even if when the weather gets to be extreme.
To know how large of an air conditioner you need, look for a calculator online. If you buy a unit that’s too large, it won’t be energy efficient for your needs. Look in the manual or on the manufacturer website for this information.
Consider a programmable thermostat installed.This device can save you a great deal of money on your heating and cooling bills because your lifestyle.
Have you ever lost your HVAC system during the bitter winter or blistering summer months? If you have, then you know what a terrible nightmare this can be. However, had you known what you know now, you could have likely avoided the problem all together. The tips from this article can help the homeowner make the best decisions about HVAC and steer clear of the worse case scenario.
Consider how long a given HVAC company has been in existence before giving them your business. Companies that are established have been proven, and you can use their track record to to determine if they provide good service. Hiring a new company will be riskier.