The level of your home has a great deal to do with the temperature that it maintains. That is why it is important to keep your HVAC has to be in tip top shape. If you’re not able to take care of it, you should expect terrible living conditions and expensive repairs. Here are some tips to get you out.
Before you contact people to assist you in getting your system fixed, know what kind of system you’re working with in the first place. Find out the brand and model and, if possible, dig out the maintenance history. This will facilitate the process when your contractor asks for this information.
If your HVAC system us giving you issues, check things out yourself prior to calling in a technician. This information will help the contractor determine what the problem is and how to fix it.
Be sure to clean external condenser units regularly. Things tend to pile up around these units, especially after storms come through, which could cause problems to your system. It can also cause it to overheat.
Turn the power off first so you don’t get hurt or break something. Then, pop off its grills, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
If there are oil ports on your fan condenser, lubricate it annually. You will notice these ports have a rubber or metal cap covering them. Chose SAE 20 oil, which has been proven to be the most effective.
Grass Clippings
To boost the efficiency of your HVAC system, you should put your unit in a shady place. This will help you save on your energy bill.
Don’t get grass clippings pile up against your outdoor condenser. Direct the grass clippings away from the equipment. This also applies when you are taking care of the leaves in the yard.
Have the HVAC system serviced twice per year. This should be done in the fall and again in the spring. Even if you can’t see anything wrong, checking it may help you locate and repair some possible issues.
Lubricate your condenser if it has oil ports. You will see rubber or metal caps covering them. Use a lightweight, and put 10 drops or fewer in each port, but make sure to avoid overfilling them.
Update the windows in your home to double-paned if you own it. Windows that are double pane keep the cool air in and can greatly reduce the amount of time your air conditioner will need to run. It keeps heat in during the winter, too.
During the service check, the serviceman will inspect the unit’s motor, the moving parts will be oiled and the freon levels will be checked These easy to do things will help your system to run at its peak performance.
Equipping your home with a programmable thermostat can be an excellent way to cut utility costs. It changes the temperature so the system isn’t in use when it’s cooler outside or no one is home. Furthermore, there are a few programmable thermostats that you can control from your computer or any other web-connected device.
Fan Setting
If everyone is out, turn the air conditioner off. This will save you money on your energy bills. Leaving your heating or cooling running full blast while you are away is a waste of money and energy.
Air conditioners tend to ice up.The drain line may also freeze over. If this is something that’s happening to you, immediately put your thermostat on the fan setting to turn off your compressor. You can call a HVAC professional, even if switching it to its fan setting starts making the ice melt.
Look online for a/c sizing calculators so you can really understand the unit size needed for your home or room. If you make the mistake of purchasing a unit that is too large, it will not cool efficiently. Use the manual to determine what size is right for you.
Ask your friends and relations for contractor recommendations. People who have used and if they are worth calling. This can also help you to figure out some names of businesses that you should avoid.
Before you hire any HVAC companies, find out how the amount of time they’ve been in business. Established companies that are doing well will usually be the best ones to go with. Taking risks is not something that you want to do in this area.
There are quite a few sites now that allow customers talk about how they were treated by services. This will tell you should work with and people that may not work well with you.
Your friends or family likely have recommendations for a local HVAC specialist. When people have had great service, they are generally pleased to pass on a good word. This will also help you avoid bad companies.
Contractors determine their own fee levels, so make sure you get quotes from several contractors before you make any hiring decision. You can save some money by asking for many quotes. You want to get quotes from at least a handful of contractors to determine what you should be paying.
The Internet can really help you out when it comes to finding someone to work on your HVAC unit. A simple search should yield a number of sites with informative reviews. This is an awesome way to find contractors to work with.
Are you thinking of getting a new HVAC system installed? There are a number of things you should consider. Systems get rated according to the total area they can effectively cool and heat. You are better off purchasing a bigger unit rather than purchasing one that is a smaller one.
Each contractor establishes his own fees, so before you hire one, obtain a few estimates. Making some phone calls before deciding is a good way to save money. Ideally, you should call five to six contractors to get a good idea of what a reasonable rate is.
Determine which way your home faces.The less heat, the fewer occasions you have to use your air conditioner.
Do you wish to buy a new cooling and heating system? Many considerations must be scrutinized. The systems are generally rated based on the area they cover. You should buy a little bigger than necessary unit over a little smaller than necessary unit.
If the HVAC unit makes a clicking noise, look for blockages right away. Often it is being caused by debris that’s hitting the fans in the cooling system. Check this out yourself first before you call in the professionals.
Check the ducts to find any leaks if you you feel your existing system is not up to snuff. You can call a utility company in your area to help you with testing, and that doesn’t cost much or nothing at all usually. The testing will pay for itself once you find and repair the leaks.
Make sure they are tightly sealed so air inside. You can also hire someone to test them all for you and often this testing is free.
You should know the facing direction of your home for the most effective placement of the HVAC system. Strategically placed trees can block sunlight and help keep the home cooler without the use of an AC unit. The less your home is heated, the less you’ll have to use your air conditioner to cool things off.
Measure the area that needs cooling before going air conditioner shopping. You will need 20 BTU per square foot of room space. If you need to cool multiple rooms, get their square footage added together.
If you want your HVAC to run well, you need to have doors and windows that work well with things too. They should have tight seals so outside air cannot get in and inside air can not get out. Ask a contractor to test them for you.
Pick out an HVAC business that is fast and works quickly to solve the problem. The best companies will ensure that their technicians will always be on time. The technicians should also be able to help you and offer the best possible options. After they know what the problem is, they resolve issues swiftly.
Measure the living area you wish to cool before going air conditioner shopping. Generally, 20 BTU per square foot is ideal. Just measure your rooms and tally up the total square footage.
If you can only put it into a corner, get a unit that lets you direct air flow away from any walls.
Make certain that you hire an experienced contractor with a good reputation. A reliable company will arrive on time and have the job finished in a jiffy. A professional can also perform a quick diagnosis on a faulty machine to locate the problem. Also, they should be able to service it quickly.
Ask any potential contractor about their experience prior to hiring them. Make sure they are experienced doing the kind of work that is needed.
Think about the air flow direction of your A/C when figuring out where to put it. If you have to place it in a corner of your home, be sure you’re getting a unit that has air flow coming from a direction that’s not facing the wall.
Always get some references from a contractor.
Ask any contractor you’re thinking of hiring for references. It’s important to know if the contractor does as he says. This will keep the scam artists away, but this only works by actually following up on the references.
Any HVAC contractor or installer should have an emergency hotline. They should be able to get to your home whenever you need them there, whether during a heatwave or a terrible snowstorm.
Only hire someone to help you with an HVAC system if there is a 24 hour line you can call when you have problems. They owe it to you to show up to fix anything, no matter how extreme the weather or what time of day it may be.
Some contractors attempt to charge you after the work is complete for fuel or extra material. A contract that covers the basics will really help you if something like this materializes.
Make sure that any contractor that provides you with a quote also performs a heat-loss calculation. This factors in the amount of BTU your heating system will consume when regulating the temperature in your house. They should check the insulation, doors and windows and the space in your house.
Now you should be able to see what must be done to keep your HVAC system in working order. Follow regular maintenance procedures in order to avoid malfunctions. Use the tips in this article to keep it operating efficiently, and you can avoid coming home to a home that is too cold or too hot.
It’s best to keep an eye open for environmentally friendly professionals who utilize ENERGY STAR certified equipment. Anything carrying the Energy Star logo has met guidelines for efficiency as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means that in the end you can save a bit of money on the bills when it comes to your cooling and heating costs.
