5 Effective Tips For Preparing Your HVAC System For Winters
You can prepare your house for winter by ensuring your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is in perfect condition. It ensures that it does not consume a lot of energy and works efficiently. You also increase your system's durability when you constantly check it.
A well-maintained HVAC system will prevent the chances of producing carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, and gas leakage. To help you prepare your system, here are five practical tips to guide you.
To ensure that your HVAC system works well, ensure you check and clean the air ducts well. A lot of dust, mold, allergens and other substances accumulate in the air ducts that need removing. Cleaning the ducts ensures the system works efficiently and keeps the air inside the house clean.
The vents are an essential part of the HVAC that most people forget to clean. Therefore, you must vacuum them frequently to remove any solid materials that could block them. Cleaning the vents and ducts helps to prevent unpleasant odors. Consider getting professional cleaning services for the ducts and vents from time to time, as they will also check if they are leaking or have dents.
Make sure nothing, such as furniture or other solid materials, is blocking the air vents. By blocking the vents, you put undue pressure on your heating system, causing it to work harder.
You should also install outside vent covers which help remove heat and moisture from the house ducts. They also reduce pressure inside the ventilation that might damage the system if not removed. Moisture, heat, and pressure build-up damage the HVAC system and risk people in the house.
If you have a mercury thermostat, check if it is functioning well. Ensure its temperature reading is the actual temperature of your house to enable you to carry out necessary replacements before the winter. A programmable thermostat enables you to regulate the temperature better and allows you to save money. Therefore, if you don't have one, consider installing it before the next winter season.
With a digital thermostat, you can set it to maintain specific temperatures at home whether or not you are around. You can program it so that it goes off when you are not around.
You should set the temperature to around 68⁰F when you are at home for maximum efficiency and around 65⁰F when you are not at home. Although you might think switching it off when you are not at home is more economical, it will require a lot of heat to warm up your house when the temperatures go too low. Therefore, you'll end up spending more money than when you set it at 65⁰.
Ensure a trusted HVAC maintenance expert checks your system at least once per year before the winter. It will save you from dealing with a broken heating unit during the cold season.
The technician will inspect the unit for any potential damages that might need repair. It also saves money that you could have used if they led to the system breaking down. They will also clean the unit to improve the quality of air that flows out of it and extend its life. Also, they should check that the furnace works well to prevent the formation of carbon monoxide or the escape of natural gas.
As the unit works, dirt, dust, and other solid particles move into the filters and block them, making it hard for air to enter the HVAC system. Therefore, regularly changing the air filters is necessary to help prevent heating and air problems and increase its efficiency.
It saves you money as a unit with clean filters consumes less energy than one with dirty filters. A clean system also sustains its usability for longer. You should replace the filter at least every three months. If possible, have backup filters in your home to help you when you need to replace them.
The preparation of the HVAC system is not complete until you ensure that your house insulation works well. The insulation should be able to maintain warm air within the house. If your insulation is poor, heat will escape from the house. Therefore, your system will have to work harder to keep the room warm, reducing its lifespan and increasing energy consumption. Also, check the insulation around the ducts to ensure no damage, as this is another area that can lead to excessive heat loss.
Conclusion
Maintain your HVAC system properly if you want a comfortable home during the winter. Also, ensure that you use it well to reduce the chances of damage. Proper maintenance and care of the system will enable you to save a lot of money for repairs. You can also avoid frequent purchases of new units due to old systems breaking down beyond repair.
