Letting your HVAC system break is not something you want to deal with. You are probably here because you want to learn about what you can to make your HVAC last a very long time. The article has many solid tips for you!
Know what work you want done before you select an HVAC contractor. Providing you with an accurate estimate over the telephone may be difficult to impossible is they can’t see the system you have. It’s even harder if you’re not able to explain what you’ve done. Having this information handy will make the process much smoother.
Know the name and type of system before looking for a repair person. This will ensure that you can give your new contractor any information they need.
Clean your fan and coils when the weather begins to warm. The power to the unit should be removed before you begin any maintenance, even cleaning. Leaves and debris can build up inside the unit and cause damage.
If problems arise with the HVAC system, check out each room in your house before calling for assistance. This information will help the repairman determine where the problem is and how to fix it.
Make sure your condenser fan is in good working order by wiping down the fan blades and the coils. First, the power should be turned off so things don’t move as you work. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
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Keep your outdoor units free of debris when you are mowing the lawn. Shoot grass the other way. The same goes for when you blow leaves, so make sure your are careful when moving any debris in the vicinity of your HVAC devices.
Know what you want done before you select an HVAC contractor. It will be hard for an HVAC contractor to provide you a price estimate over the phone if they have not seen your current system. It will be way more difficult for him to assist you can’t figure out what they need to do.
Try to choose a shady place to locate the outdoor compressor device. The unit will operate more efficiently to cool your home if the intake air is cooler to begin with.
Turn the power off first so nothing moves. Next, pop the grill off, pull out the blades and start cleaning them and the unit itself off gently.
Make sure your HVAC systems is checked twice a year. The best times to have the system checked is spring and fall, so you are sure everything is running at peak performance before the heating and cooling seasons. Even if everything seems okay, it doesn’t hurt to check things out.
Your HVAC system could suffer when trees start to lose their leaves. Make sure the fan’s grill often once nearby trees start shedding their leaves.The fan must not have anything in the way so that air can flow into it, and if debris is blocking this air flow, you will have to contend with problems.
Double pane your windows to prevent drafts. In warmer months, these windows will help to maintain the cooler inside temperature. This also works during the cold months to keep the warm air inside.
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When you are away from home, adjust your thermostat to a money saving temperature. This will save you money on your energy bills. If it’s left on all day, it will fight the heat all day, which uses quite a bit of electricity.
Lubricate the oil ports on your condenser once a year. You can find these ports have a rubber or metal caps. Use SAE 20 oil that is non-detergent and lightweight, detergent-free SAE 20 oil, but make sure to avoid overfilling them.
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 a unit that’s too large, it won’t be energy efficient for your needs. To get the right information, look in the manual to find out the rating the manufacturer gives the unit for cooling.
Put your outdoor condensers in places with shade.
Find out how many years an HVAC company has been in business before you hire them. The older they are, the more likely it will be for you to find out their history, which will help you gauge their quality. Hiring an inexperienced contractor can be risky.
Have the HVAC system inspected twice a year. This should be done in the fall and malfunctions.
Checkout online reviews if you do not know which contractor to call for installation, maintenance or repair of your HVAC system. There are plenty of online websites that give people the opportunity to leave comments about the service they received. This is an awesome way to find contractors to work with.
Air conditioners sometimes ice up at times. The drain line may also freeze over. If you see this, disable the compressor by turning your thermostat to the fan only setting. If this doesn’t work, call in help.
Think about getting a radiant barrier in your attic so your HVAC system can run better. It will serve as a barrier between your home and the outside. You may even find that you can use the attic space more effectively.
Look for calculators online to truly understand what size of unit is necessary for your home. Look at the manual to determine the manufacturer website for this information.
Have you been thinking about buying a new HVAC system? There are several things you should consider. Systems have a rating based on how well the system is able to cool or heat an area well. Be sure to choose a slightly too large system over a too small of one.
Companies that are well established have track records that haven’t been. It is always risky to hire someone who does not have a long history.
Make an HVAC system run more efficiently by determining what direction your house faces. Consider where to place trees to reduce the morning sunlight on your home. The less heat in your home, the less time your air conditioner will have to work.
Ask your friends and family for contractor recommendations. People who have been happy with work they have had great service are normally more than happy to recommend their contractors. This is also a great way to get names of those companies that should be avoided.
When determining which size of air conditioner to buy, first measure the area which needs to be cooled. You will need about 20 BTU per square footage of the room. When you are cooling more than one room, you must add together all of the square footage.
Contractors are responsible for their own charges and fees, so make sure that you acquire multiple estimates. You can save quite a lot of cash simply by doing your homework. Call around to find out what the best deal possible.
Consider what potential direction your air conditioner’s flow will have when choosing where to put it. When it’s being put into a corner, you have to be able to direct the air out into free space.
Think about getting a radiant barrier in your attic so support the efficient functioning of your HVAC system. It will make sure you won’t have to use more energy to keep your home and the outside. You may even use your attic as part of your living space if it is done right.
Prior to hiring any HVAC contractor, you ought to ask about their level of experience. You need to verify they have the type of experience needed to work on your particular system. While someone with less experience might be able to do a great job too, you do not want to take that chance.
Make sure they are tightly sealed so air inside. You can hire someone to test them.
Before you hire an HVAC contractor, research their references. You might be shocked at what you find. It only takes a short amount of time to contact someone, so it is important that you do that right away.
If all you have is a corner spot, use one that doesn’t blow into the wall.
Heat-loss calculations are important when getting an estimate. You need it to know how many BTUs are necessary. They need to consider all doors and windows, insulation and room sizes.
Always make sure to get some references before hiring any contractor.
Look for a unit that has the Energy Star emblem. They are very efficient models which meet exacting standards. The Environmental Protection Agency is what sets these guidelines. They are called the EPA for short. Doing a little homework can save you a lot of money.
There are dishonest contractors that will try to overcharge you later for things like fuel charges and material fees. A contract will really help you if something like this possible problem.
It’s amazing to find out that 66% of homes have leaky ducts! These can cost you as much as twenty five percent of what you pay for utilities. Sealing the ducts is easy and cheap to do yourself, and it may reduce energy costs greatly in the future.
Cover your condenser in the winter time. This simple cover keeps the condenser operating longer when it is not in use. Use the fan instead to avoid straining the condenser unit.
Energy Star units are the best choice when purchasing a new unit. Energy Star items meet the efficiency guidelines set by the EPA. Thus, they will produce savings on energy bills all year long.
Always check any references that are given to you by an HVAC contractor.
The heating ducts must be cleaned on a regular basis for best performance. Examine the ducts on a regular basis to ensure they are in good working order. Damaged ducts can raise your heating bill and waste warm air.
This tells you the number of BTUs your new system will need to keep the environment of your home comfortable.
The condenser unit needs to be properly taken care of in cold weather. Just cover it with a thick top. Don’t use this unit if you’re working in temperatures below around 60 degrees because your system won’t work that well below temperatures like this.
Consider a programmable thermostat installed.This will help you a lot of money in terms of energy because it allows your system some downtime while you are warm in your bed.
It is important that you are provided that before any work is performed, the HVAC company provides you with a written estimate. It is important that it is in writing and not a verbal estimate. Knowing what each item costs is very important information. You are more likely to get what you need. Try comparing things like price, time completion, and other things. Try to avoid trusting a company with a low estimate since they may perform poor work.
You may be surprised that as many as two-thirds of all homes have ducts that are leaky. These can add up to a quarter of your total utility costs you have. Sealing up your ducts is cheap and easy, you can even do it yourself, saving you money on your utility bills every year from then on.
Make sure you keep all owner’s manual is anytime the system is running. 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.
Be sure to ask for written HVAC company are in writing. It is important that it is in writing. There are quite a few jobs that require you to get written estimates for to see what they take. This helps ensure you are getting a good deal on your service. Compare various elements of the deals that you are offered.
As the article here has shown you, it’s important for you to work on taking care of an HVAC system so it doesn’t go bad. If it fails, you’ll spend a lot to fix it. Avoid the situation entirely by heeding the advice in this piece.
