HVAC Success In A Few Simple Tips
HVAC, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is how your home stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When properly installed and maintained, you and your family get to enjoy reasonable indoor temperatures all year long. Keep reading this article for advice on installation, upgrades, maintenance and repairs of your home HVAC system.
Do not be surprised if the HVAC contractor you choose does an evaluation on your home. Any good contractor will spend time looking at the system you currently have and what the needs are for your home. They will also take a look at your duct system and look for air leaks.
If you want to save money once a new HVAC system is put in place, be sure to pick ENERGY STAR rated products to use. They are very energy efficient so your new system won't cost you a ton when it comes to your utility bills every month, recouping some of your installation costs.
When the spring comes and the days begin to warm up, call in a pro to give your HVAC a once over. This will ensure that your air conditioner works as expected all summer long, stopping you from sweating it out when you least expect the system to fail.
Clean the fan blades and coils in your condenser each spring. Before you do anything, however, turn the power off. Next, pop the grill off, put the blades out and start to gently clean them along with the unit.
Do you hear a clicking sound when your fan is turning? This may mean that there is something in the way of the blades of the fan. If it gets so bad that the blade bends, you must replace it, just unbending it will leave the fan unbalanced and can cause further issues.
Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out if your HVAC system needs to be fixed or needs to be replaced. If your system frequently breaks down, is always turning on or off on its own, or if your bills are too high, it may pay to have it replaced. Otherwise, little things can just be fixed.
Be sure to check your evaporator coil drains frequently when your air conditioner is running. If this tube backs up, you can find water damage to your walls, ceilings and floors. If you end up with mold just use a solution of bleach and water to clean out the tube.
In order to cheaply cool your home, turn the temperature up. If you take a few showers a day or just drink a cold ice water, you'll find that you're saving a lot of money on your utility bills by keeping the thermostat a little higher than usual in your home.
Never allow your home to get dangerously hot inside. It is only possible for an air conditioner to lower the temperature in a home by 20 degrees F in a short time. The temperature will only reduce to about 80 if your home heats up to 100 degrees. This can still be way too warm for you.
Consider all of your alternatives before installing a central air conditioner. You can only cool certain rooms, use whole-house fans, or even make use of a geothermal system. The more efficient the system you set up, the less you'll spend on utility bills over time as you use it.
Before having someone install a new HVAC system or maintain or repair yours, make sure they are insured. Having someone who is insured work on your system will assure that if anything happens while they are working at your home, they are financially covered and you will not be responsible.
The energy efficiency of a unit should be taken into consideration when purchasing a new heating and cooling system. Although you should be concerned about the price of a unit, the efficiency of the unit will save you thousands over the lifetime of the heating and cooling system and should weigh heavily on your buying decision.
Turn to online reviews if you're not sure how you should hire to perform HVAC maintenance. In many cases you will find local review sites where previous customers will share the experience they had with companies they used. This will make it easier for you to find the right contractor.
Use your HVAC system to heat your water for free! In the summer, residual heat pulled out of your house is used to heat water through a geothermal system. This will cool your home while allowing you to save a ton on hot water costs, plus it's environmentally friendly to boot!
As stated in the introduction, it is your home's HVAC system that lets you enjoy a consistent indoor temperature range all year long. Regardless of the season, your properly maintained home heating, ventilation and air conditioning means you rest comfortably inside. Use the advice from this article to make sure that your home stays the temperature you want.