Follow these helpful tips to put yourself in the best position.
What system do you have? You need this information to tell your contractor. Know the brand name and model number. It is also helpful to have the maintenance history. This will enable you to give your chosen contractor any information they might need.
If problems arise with the HVAC system, tour your home before calling a technician. This will help the contractor determine where the problem is.
If your HVAC doesn’t seem to be working properly, check things out yourself prior to calling in a technician. Make a list of the rooms which are comfortable and which just aren’t. Figuring this out will the contractor to diagnose the issues and quickly get to work on fixing it.
Clean your condenser’s fan and coils come spring. Clean the outside of your condenser unit.
Cleaning the blades and coils will help the system run better. If you are doing more than a light surface cleaning, make sure that the power is shut off to the HVAC unit. Also, be sure to clear leaves and debris from your condenser unit.
Clean the debris on your outdoor condenser unit. You never know when things can pile up, especially after a windy or rainy storm, and that can ruin your system. It could overheat and cause your system to malfunction by overheating.
Clean the fan blades and coils on the condenser fan every spring. Shut the power off before you do anything. Take the grill off and pull the blades out to clean them.
Grass Clippings
Try to prevent debris from getting in your HVAC unit. During this time of year, check and clear off the fan grill on your unit on a regular basis. Because the fan requires a clear path for air to enter, you may encounter issues with your system if the fan gets blocked up.
Don’t get grass clippings on your outdoor condenser. Direct the grass clippings in a direction away from the equipment. This also applies when you are taking care of the leaves in debris.
You need to lubricate parts of your fan condenser. You’ll see that the ports here are closed with a rubber or metal cap. Get an oil that is SAE 20 and put about 10 drops into each port, but don’t overfill it.
Leaves and debris can damage your HVAC unit. Make sure the fan’s grill is cleaned often during the leaves begin to fall. The fan must not have anything in the way so that air can flow into it, and if it becomes blocked, you will end up with many headaches with the unit.
A good place to place your compressor unit outside is in a shady spot. When the unit sucks in cooler air, then less work is required to cool it further which in turn boosts the units efficiency.
Turn off your outdoor condenser when weather turns cold. This should turn it off to prevent damage if the temperature drops below 60ºF to avoid damage. This simple tip will help keep the system working for many years to come.
Have the HVAC system serviced twice per year. Your system should be inspected in Spring and Fall. This type if preventative maintenance is highly necessary to ward off any expensive troubles from coming your way.
It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows for double panes. This also keeps warm in the winter months.
Condenser units for the outdoors should be shut off when it starts to get cold outside. Avoid damaging the unit by turning it off when the outdoor temperature drops below 60 degrees. This helps the system last much longer and will have to be repaired less often.
During the service check, the serviceman will inspect the unit’s motor, oil the different moving parts as well as check the system’s freon levels. These simple tasks will help your HVAC system running smoothly.
You should have your HVAC system inspected at least once, but preferably twice, per year. The motor should be checked, the parts oiled and the freon levels inspected. These easy to do things are going to allow your system to run its best.
Research and check the companies that you consider using. Check with the BBB and online reviews of potential companies online. These steps are going to help to ensure you make the smartest and most informed choice.
Turn your AC off if no one is at home. When you turn it off, the house heats up, but only to a certain threshold. If it is on all day, it is trying to maintain a cool temperature constantly, using a great deal of electricity to fight the heat.
Ask around so you are looking for a reputable HVAC contractor. People will tell you who have had a good experience are worth calling. This is also help you to figure out some names of companies that you should avoid at all costs.
Sometimes, air conditioning units ice up. Drain lines can also suffer an occasional freeze, and these are sometimes mistaken for plumbing leak issues. If you see this, immediately put your thermostat on the fan setting to turn off your compressor. If the issue persists, call in help.
There are quite a number of great sites out there that let customers to share their experiences with different services. This is an excellent method of finding people that you wish to work with as well as those that you don’t.
Find an air conditioner calculator online to determine what models are best for you. While you might think that a larger HVAC system is always better, in fact, larger systems sometimes are not the best choice for a particular space. Look at the manual for more information.
Contractors are responsible for their own charges and fees, so make sure to get multiple quotes.You can save quite a bit of money this way. You want to call at least a handful of contractors in order to know what reasonable rates are.
Consider how long a given HVAC company has been in existence before giving them your business. You are more likely to get good service this way. If you hire someone that’s new that this then you’ll be risking your money.
If you hear a clicking noise coming from your HVAC unit, immediately check for any type of obstruction. Sometimes debris that gets in the fan’s way. Look carefully at it before calling in a service technician.
Speak with family and friends to get a recommendation for a reputable HVAC contractor. People who’ve had great service are usually willing to tell of it. This will also help you to avoid undesirable companies.
Make certain they are tightly sealed so air can’t seep in. A professional can sometimes test the windows and many times the testing is free.
You shouldn’t rely on a single quote from one contractor to gauge the cost, because different specialists set their own price. You will be likely to save some cash if you take the time to call around before you decide. To get the best picture and get an idea of what rates are reasonable, call five or six different contractors.
Measure the area that requires air conditioner shopping.You will need about 20 BTU per square foot of the room. If multiple rooms need cooling, be sure to add their square footage together.
Do you need a new HVAC system? You probably have many options available to you. Systems get rated according to how large an area they can effectively cool and heat. Therefore, you may want to opt for a larger unit.
Pick HVAC business that know what they’re doing and works quickly to solve the problem. The best companies keep the technicians will always be on schedule. A licensed technician should also easily diagnose any potential faults with your HVAC. Once they know what’s wrong, they can help resolve the problems in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Look for leaves or other debris if you notice a thumping sound in your unit. Sometimes, debris will be the cause of the disturbance. Cleaning the debris will likely stop the noise. Look at the system before you call for help.
If you have no choice but to put it in the corner, use one that doesn’t blow into the wall.
When hiring a contractor, be sure to ask for a list of references. You must know whether or not their customers have had an issues, and this includes trouble with the quote they were given or workers not showing up on time. If you check references carefully, you can avoid being scammed.
Your home’s HVAC system is critical to providing a comfortable environment in your home. Without maintenance, you may find yourself very uncomfortable. To ensure this never happens to you, keep the tips you’ve read today in mind.
Don’t purchase an HVAC system unless you know exactly what all is included in your system. Sometimes, contractors will not include everything in order to secure the job. This is why getting estimates in writing is so important.
