Lots of folks want HVAC systems placed in their houses. An HVAC is a unit is designed to keep your home’s temperature comfortable for you throughout the year. You will likely need a contractor to install it and maintain it. This article has some great suggestions to help you useful HVAC tips.
Know the name and type of your HVAC system before looking for a repair person. Look for the maintenance history and brand and model. This will help you give the new contractor the necessary information.
Know what type of your HVAC system before looking for a repair person.This makes sure the contractor has the information they will need.
Before you ever begin looking for an HVAC contractor, first consider the entire job that you’ll need completed. It’s hard for these contractors to give phone estimates without seeing the current system you have. If you can’t explain changes you’ve made, the process will be even more difficult. Know this stuff ahead of time.
If you struggle with your HVAC, check things out yourself prior to calling in a technician. This will help the contractor determine where the problem is and how to fix it.
Make sure clippings don’t get on your outdoor units when your mowing your lawn. Shoot grass the other way. This includes grass clippings and leaves.
Know what you want done before you hire a contractor. A contractor will be hard pressed to provide you an over-the-phone estimate if unfamiliar with your system. It will be more hard if you can’t figure out what they need to do.
If the condenser fan has oil parts, then you need to lubricate it at least once per year. You will see rubber or metal caps covering the ports. Put about ten drops or less of a good non-detergent SAE 20 oil into each port.
Clean your condenser’s fan and coils each spring to ensure that your condenser fan operates at it’s best.Clean off any leaves or debris from your external condenser unit regularly.
Boost energy efficiency by putting your condenser unit in the shade. Your air conditioner won’t have to work so hard if the air is sucks in is already cool.
Clean the condenser on your debris off your outdoor 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 unit.
When colder weather arrives, switch off all outdoor condenser units. If the outside temp is under 60 degrees, turn the unit off to prevent damage. This can keep your system working for years and save you a lot on repairs.
Put your outdoor condensers in places with shade.
To save money and be more comfortable in your home, install double-paned windows instead of single pane. You can reduce your energy costs from energy leaking out through your windows by installing window that are double-paned. It keeps heat in during the winter, too.
It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows for double panes. This also helps keep it warm air in during the winter.
Consider getting a programmable thermostat for your AC. These convenient thermostats may shave ten percent or more off of your bills, because they significantly cut energy use when you’re not around. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from your smart phone or computer.
During the visit, the contractor will oil parts, oil the different moving parts as well as check the system’s freon levels. These repairs will keep your HVAC system running at peak performance.
Service your hearing and cooling systems once each year. The contractor should oil the parts that move and check the motor and freon levels. These repairs will keep your HVAC system running smoothly.
Do not let your house to get dangerously hot. An air conditioning unit will reduce the internal temperature of your home approximately twenty degrees in a short time span. If your home happens to get near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll only cool down to still above 80. This is not a healthy environment to live in.
Use online AC sizing calculators to figure out what size unit you need. Buying a unit that is too large for your home is a poor decision that wastes money. Read over the owner’s manual to see the manufacturers suggestions as to the cooling capacity of the unit for the most accurate information.
Fan Setting
Before you hire someone from an HVAC place, figure out how long they’ve been doing this kind of work. Firms that have been in business for a long time are easier to assess. New companies are just too risky.
Air conditioners sometimes ice up at times. The drain line may also freeze over. If you see this happen, change the setting on your thermostat to the fan setting and this will disable the compressor. You can call a HVAC professional, but switching to the fan setting should start to melt the ice.
If you don’t know who you should call to repair, install and maintain your HVAC systems, check out reviews online. There are now different online sites that let customers share their service experiences. This will tell you who is great and who isn’t.
Ask your friends and family for contractor recommendations. People who’ve had great service are usually more than willing to tell of it. This will also be used to see who you avoid scammers.
Every contractor out there is responsible for setting up their own fees, so get several quotes before hiring anyone. Save yourself some money by calling around before you make your final decision. To figure out what a good rate is, speak with about five or six contractors.
If there’s a clicking in your HVAC unit, look for an obstruction. Often it is being caused by debris hitting the fans in the cooling system. Look carefully at it before calling in a technician.
Have you been thinking about buying a new HVAC system? There are several things you should consider. For example, the ratings on most systems describe how much space they can work to cool or heat. You should buy a little bigger than necessary unit over a little smaller than necessary unit.
Measure the area that needs cooling before going air conditioner shopping. You can figure out the unit you need by calculating 20 BTU per square foot of room space. If you are cooling more than one room, just add their total square footage.
Test your duct work for leaks. The local utility company may be able to do this for you at a cost lower than what a contractor would charge you. When you repair the leaks, you’ll see that the tests paid for themselves.
If you have to put the unit in a corner, make certain that the air does not point towards a wall.
Look for leaves or other debris if you notice a thumping sound in your unit. Often it is being caused by debris hitting fans in your cooling system. Removing the debris will quickly fix the issue. Before you call a technician, look at it yourself.
Any HVAC contractor you hire should have a 24-hour emergency number available to customers around the clock. They should be able to get to your home whenever you need them there, in any weather.
When considering what size AC unit your home needs, be sure to measure the immediate area you need to cool. Typically, 20 BTUs are required per square foot. Account for all of the rooms in the house.
There are dishonest contractors that will try to overcharge you. Having a solid written contract will let you avoid these types of issues.
Ask any potential contractor about their experience. He or she may not have experience working with your type of system or performing the work that you need done. While you may not know if a worker with no experience will work well or not, it’s not a good idea to take a chance with this.
Always check out any references provided to you by an HVAC contractor.
Seek references when hiring an HVAC contractor. You need to have the ability to speak with homeowners to see if the services they got were any good and if they cost a lot of money. That is why it is vital that you check references, so you don’t run into those shady contractors!
Clearly, some ways exist to aid you in dealing with contractors and HVAC units. You need to make sure you get a unit correctly installed, then maintain it so it works well. Keep the suggestions you just read handy for your HVAC maintenance.
Any HVAC contractor you hire should have a 24-hour emergency hotline. You want a company that will be there when you need them.
