It seems hard to learn about HVAC. This doesn’t need to be that way, however, if you’re willing to take your time to go over the following paragraphs. This advice will help you with all of the novice when it comes to simple repairs on your HVAC system.
Clean the fan blades and coils come spring. Clean off any leaves or debris from your external condenser unit regularly.
Tour your home before calling a contractor. Notice the temperature in each room. Are some cooler or hotter than others? Taking this step aids a contractor in figuring out what the problem is and how to repair it as quickly as possible.
Clean the debris that accumulates on your condenser unit. You don’t know when things are going to pile up, like right after it’s windy or rains, and that can throw a wrench in your system. It can cause a disaster with your system to malfunction by overheating.
Turn it off first so nothing moves. Next, pop the grill off, pull out the blades and start cleaning them and the unit itself off gently.
Clean the coils of your condenser fan each month. Before you clean the unit, be sure to turn off the power. Also, be sure to clear leaves and debris from your condenser unit.
Grass Clippings
Don’t let grass clippings pile up against your outside unit. Direct the grass clippings away from the equipment. This also applies when you are taking care of the leaves in debris.
You must keep your HVAC systems oil ports lubricated annually. A rubber or metal cap is typically placed over such ports. You should select an SAE 20 oil since it is lightweight and does not contain detergent. Be sure to use just 10 drops or so, or your system may overfill.
Put your outdoor condensers in places with shade.
It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows with ones that have double panes. This also keeps warm air in during the colder months.
When you are choosing a location for the outdoor compressor unit, it’s preferable to use a shaded area. When your unit is bringing in cool air, it will not have to work as hard to cool the air as it moves it inside, boosting efficiency.
A programmable thermostat can help you save money on air conditioning bill. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from a PC or computer.
During a maintenance visit, professionals can help by inspecting the system’s motor, inspect the motor and the freon levels. These simple things will keep your system to run at peak performance.
Have the HVAC system serviced twice per year. The normally recommended time for HVAC system inspections is once before the peak cooling season when it gets hot and you’ll be using your AC, and once before the peak heating season, during the cold months when you’re likely to be using your heat. A quick check is worth it to avoid problems down the road.
Do not allow your house get dangerously hot. An air conditioner can only able to reduce the temperature by twenty degrees in a short time span. So, if you house heats up to about 95, your air conditioning will only bring that temp down to about 80 degrees. This won’t be a safe and comfortable temperature for you to sleep in.
As you now see, learning about HVAC is not that difficult. Things will work out for you if you use the suggestions given in the above article. If you use them wisely, you may find you have learned enough to make money doing it.
When colder weather arrives, switch off all outdoor condenser units. If the temperature outside is less than 60ºF, be sure to turn off the unit so that you don’t damage it. This will keep your system in working order year after year, saving you a ton on repairs.
