When it comes to heating and ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as with any piece of equipment, it all comes down to regular maintenance and care. If you want your system to keep on benefiting your home, there are some things that you need to ensure to preserve its efficiency.
These routine maintenance drills aren’t all that time consuming, and they won’t leave a hole in your wallet, and yet they are going to ensure that your HVAC system runs smoothly for a long time. On the other hand, failing to maintain your air condition system can have many different consequences, efficiency-wise, financial, and even those regarding your overall well being.
If you are unsure about what you can do on your end to keep your HVAC system in tip-top shape, you have come to the right place – in this article, we have compiled a list of vital tips that will help you to do so.
Check Your Filters Regularly
Filter maintenance should, without a doubt, be at the top of any list regarding this topic due to a variety of reasons. As the experts on this topic over at filterbuy.com/resources/the-furnace-filter-size-issue/ mention, many people tend to overlook this aspect way more than they should, most of them not being aware of the importance of getting the right size of the filter or how often they should even check their HVAC filters. Now, one of the most prominent reasons for knowing these is energy efficiency, but since that’s going to be covered in the next tip, let’s first talk about other aspects.
Allergens Accumulation
A dirty, ill-maintained filter allows airborne pollutants and allergens such as dust, dander, pollen, and similar to circulate through your household. Even if you don’t have allergies, all of these compounds can lower your air quality hence compromising your health. If anyone in your home suffers from respiratory issues, you must check and change your filters once a month.
Mold Growth
Now, you might think – well, even if it just so happens that there is mold growth in the filters, just changing them is going to solve the problem. That is true if you act quickly, but irregular check-ups might cause mold to spread. Not to mention the fact that mold isn’t just unsightly, but it can also cause several respiratory problems along the way.
Clean The Coils
Your HVAC coils play a crucial role when it comes to making sure that the system runs as efficiently as possible. Cleaning them really isn’t all that big of a chore, and doing so regularly sure does have a lot of benefits. Before proceeding with cleaning, make sure you turn the system off first. Then, you should use a water hose to spray the debris on the outside first, and once that’s cleared away, proceed to use the coil cleaner on the outside unit. After around 15 minutes, you can use a hose to rinse the coil cleaner off.
High Efficiency – Low Energy Bills
Many people just aren’t aware of how much simple things like debris impact the efficiency of their HVAC systems, hence affecting their energy bills as well. Basically, dirt accumulated in your coils affects the airflow, which means that your HVAC needs to use a lot more energy to perform well.
Debris Can Spike Up Your Energy Bills As Well — Clean It
Debris near your heat and ventilation air condition system like leaves, twigs, and grass clippings can affect your energy efficiency in the same way that debris in coils does so as well, and cleaning it is even easier! Don’t wait for your energy bills to spike; clean them regularly.
Consider Installing a Thermostat
Thermostats are a great gadget to have since they can be programmed to change the temperature automatically when you aren’t home or, for instance, while you are sleeping. This ensures that the temperature is always set with energy efficiency being a priority.
That being said, you must make sure that your thermostat is installed well and that the settings are optimized properly. Having a thermostat can be a great step to enhanced energy efficiency, but if done improperly, it could actually increase your utility bills as well as shorten your HVAC system’s lifespan.
A Carbon Monoxide Detector is a Must
It is also important that you, firstly, install, and secondly incorporate changing your home’s carbon monoxide detector annually into your HVAC maintenance routine. A carbon monoxide leak could not be something that should be taken lightly since it could cause injury or even death.
Since this gas is invisible and doesn’t have a distinct smell, detection can be extremely hard, meaning that having a carbon monoxide generator is absolutely crucial.
How do these leaks even happen? Well, over time, as your system ages, the heat exchanger can develop cracks, holes, or even corrosion. These changes tend to be very subtle, and unless you can see a distinct crack, they can be very hard to spot – which is why your system must be regularly checked and maintained.
Professional Check-Ups are Advised
While there are a lot of things that you can easily do on your own, opting for professional check-ups is going to ensure that there’s no stone left unturned. A job that’s done incorrectly can result in more damage than benefits, and having credible, skilled, and experienced professionals hired is going to lower the chance of that happening exponentially.
That being said, if there is anything that you are unsure about, be it a procedure or a potential problem, make sure that you consult with professionals first before embarking on a DIY journey.
Considering everything mentioned above, you have probably been able to conclude that with HVAC maintenance, a little really goes a long way. Many of these tips are quite simple, and all it takes is a bit of commitment and action, and all the benefits that come out of them are enormous. Utilize these tips to ensure that your HVAC is up and running for years to come!
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