How will you know what kind of unit you need? What size should you need?What features will you need? It can be hard to sort through all the new features are coming out each day.
Don’t let grass clippings pile up against your outdoor condenser. Direct the clippings away from the equipment. Do the same when blowing snow or leaves.
Know the name and type of your HVAC system before calling someone to fix it. This will enable you to give your contractor any information they might need.
If you need to decide the best place to put your outdoor compressor unit, consider putting it in a location that is in the shade. If your unit is sucking in cooler air, it will have less work to do to cool that air as it sends it inside which boosts efficiency.
If your HVAC doesn’t seem to be working properly, look around your home before calling in people to help. This will help the repairman determine what the problem is and how to fix it.
If you want things to be more efficient, get new units outside or have your current one moved into the shade. This will help you save on your energy bill.
Know what you want done before you hire a contractor. A contractor cannot give an over-the-phone estimate without looking at your system. It will be way more difficult for him to assist you can’t figure out what they need to do.
Have the HVAC system checked twice a year at the least. The spring and autumn times are the best time to have it checked. Even if nothing seems wrong, checking it out can help you find and fix potential issues.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coils prior to summertime. Clean the outdoor condenser unit regularly.
When colder weather arrives, switch off all outdoor condenser units. If temps go below 60 you run the risk of damaging a unit that remains on. This will ensure your system stays in good working order every year, saving you money on costly repairs.
Turn the power off so you don’t get hurt or break something. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and begin cleaning the unit and them gently.
It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows for double pane ones. Having a double pane window helps limit your need for air conditioning during the summer months. Your home will also stay warmer in the winter.
Leaves and debris can wreak havoc with your HVAC unit. Make sure the fan’s grill is cleaned frequently when the fall. The fan needs to have an unobstructed path for air to enter the unit, and if it becomes blocked, you will have to contend with problems.
Installing a programmable digital thermostat can help save money. A thermostat that’s programmable is going to save you around ten percent on the heating and cooling costs you have to pay when you turn it back about fifteen percent for a part of the day. Additionally, some models of programmable thermostats actually allow you to control them remotely from your office computer or cell phone.
10 Drops
If nobody is home, turn off the AC. By raising the temperature from, for example 78 to 80, your house will be warmer, but only up to 80 before your AC kicks in. If you decide to set the temperature to 82 or 83 or so on, your AC won’t go on until it reaches that temperature. Obviously, if you leave your air conditioning set at a low temperature all day long even if you’re not home, you’ll be paying to maintain that low temperature.
Lubricate the oil ports on your fan condenser at least once each year. They are usually fitted with a rubber or metal cap on them. Use a lightweight, and put 10 drops or fewer in each port, putting 10 drops in each port.
Don’t allow your home to become dangerously hot. Even the best air conditioners can only realistically cool your home approximately 20 degrees Farenheit. So if your home is 100ºF, you’ll only get the temperature down to about 80. While it depends on the humidity, this is not safe for a human to sleep in to recover from the heat of the summer.
Put your outdoor units in places with shade.
To help you pick a good HVAC contractor, be sure to research a number of different companies. Check with different references to determine the best one for your situation. Taking these steps will help ensure that you make a wise decision.
Make sure you have your HVAC systems is checked at least twice a year. This should be checked often for debris and the spring.
AC units will tend to get ice on them due to the cold. In addition, the drain line sometimes freezes, and people often think that there is a plumbing leak. If this happens, put your thermostat over to fan. You can call a HVAC professional, but switching to the fan will make the ice melt.
Turn off your outdoor condensers you have when it’s getting 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 running efficiently for many years.
Look for sizing calculators based on the air conditioner you have to figure out how big of a unit you need in your home. If you buy something too large it won’t be efficient as it cools the same. Look at the manual to determine the recommended size for air conditioners.
It is always a good idea to replace single-paned windows with ones that have double panes. This will also help you keep in during the winter months.
An online search will give you further information about any contractor you are considering. A simple search should yield a number of sites with informative reviews. This will be an excellent way to locate people you should work with and people that may not work well with you.
A programmable thermostat can help you save money on air conditioning bill. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from a computer.
Make certain that you get written estimates before you hire a contractor. Save yourself some money by calling around before you make your final decision. In an ideal situation, you can estimate a reasonable rate by getting quotes from up to a half-dozen individual contractors or businesses.
During your service visit, the serviceman will inspect the unit’s motor, oil the different moving parts as well as check the system’s freon levels. These easy to do things will keep your system to run its best.
Are you looking into getting a new heating/cooling system? If so, you must consider a number of things. Each system has a rating and that rating tells the area that can be effectively temperature controlled. It’s a good idea to buy something that’s larger than you’d need instead of getting something that’s not big enough.
Look for calculators online to truly understand what size of unit you need for your home. Look at the manual to determine the manufacturer website for this information.
If your system doesn’t seem to be working efficiently, check your ducts for leaks. Often, utility companies will test them free of charge. When you repair the leaks, the tests will pay for themselves.
Do you want to find a new HVAC system? You will need to think about a few things into account. Systems have ratings according to how large an area they effectively heat or cool. You are wise to err on the side of a unit that is slightly too large for your needs than a smaller one.
Determining the direction in which your house faces can help make the HVAC system efficient. Trees placed in the right places can keep the sun from heating your home too much. The less heat, the easier time the air conditioner in your home will have.
Figure out the direction your home faces in order to make your HVAC system more efficient. If there is less heat in the home from sunlight, then your air conditioning unit won’t have to work as hard.
Inspect your HVAC unit quickly for blockage if you become away of any clicking sound. Most of the time such a noise is created by an object striking the blades of the fan in the system. All you have to do is get this debris out of there to fix the problem. Check the fan and coil before you waste time contacting a professional.
Replace the air filter in your HVAC system working well.This is an easy thing to do and it will keep your unit run properly.
In order to determine the size of the air conditioner to purchase, you must measure the area that you want to cool. Plan for 20 BTU of power in your air conditioner for each square foot that needs to be cooled. If the unit will be cooling several rooms, combine their square footage in your calculations.
If you have to place it in a corner, ensure that the air is not directed towards a wall.
As you ponder where to install your new AC unit, think about how the air flows around the room. Put it in a corner where the air does not flow into the wall.
Ask any potential contractor about their experience prior to hiring them. You need to verify they have the sort of experience needed to work you require.
Seek references when hiring an HVAC contractor. Ask these references if the job was what they expected, if it was done in a timely manner and on budget. You can avoid scam artists, yet only when you actually check up on references.
Always make sure to get references when you are considering a HVAC contractor.
Make sure that your contractor can be reached at all times. 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.
This tells you the amount of BTUs you will need in your new system requires to keep the environment of your home comfortable.
Make sure you know about the cost of HVAC work when getting a contractor to work on it. Some contractors attempt to charge you later for items like materials and fuel. Solidly written contracts let you prevent such issues.
Find an HVAC professional who uses Energy Star equipment. This will ensure that the product is more efficient than those without it.This will help you save more on your heating and cooling bills year round.
You should ask the contractor if they included heat-loss calculations inside their initial quote. This will determine how much BTU your new system will need to keep your home comfortable. From knowing how many doors and windows there are to how much insulation there is, it’s a must.
Heating Ducts
Keep the owner’s manual close to you while you’re working on any kind of unit. The manual contains a lot of the information you need and may be helpful should a serious issue arise. If your manual got lost or misplaced, you can get a new one from the manufacturer.
Keep your HVAC system running efficiently by cleaning the heating ducts from time to time. Check your heating ducts for damage or openings often. Damaged ducts can raise your electric bill.
Keep your condenser protected in cold weather. A thick cover will help protect the condenser from coming in.
Make sure you know where the owner’s manual is anytime the system in a convenient place. The information contained within this manual is going to give you quite a few things to learn about the unit you have and will be very useful.
You can sometimes get overwhelmed when picking out a good HVAC system. Ideally, you learned some information to assist you in your selection. Take the time to review these tips again, and use them when you are making your final selection so that your home becomes comfortable and enjoyable all year round.
