HVAC emergencies are costly for homeowners in Stuart, FL, but most of them are avoidable with the right attention. Consider these six ways you can avoid HVAC emergencies this winter:
Routinely Change or Clean Your Air Filter
The air filter plays an important role in keeping your system working properly and preventing airflow restrictions. On the flip side, filters need periodic replacing or cleaning to continue allowing air to pass through them.
Systems with central air handlers and ducts use disposable filters. These need replacing every 30 to 90 days for the smaller 1- and 2-inch filters. If your system uses a larger filter, it may last several months, depending on its size and your air quality.
Ductless mini-split systems have reusable air filters at each air handler. These typically need cleaning about every two weeks. Fully dry reusable filters before placing them back into your air handlers.
Schedule HVAC Maintenance to Prevent Emergencies
Routine maintenance optimizes how your home’s HVAC system works, reducing wear and energy consumption. Your system benefits most from having routine heating maintenance every fall before the cooler weather arrives. A service technician’s first step in maintenance is deep cleaning your system, including the circulating fan and indoor refrigerant coil.
Next, they’ll tighten mounting hardware and electrical connections that loosen from the system’s vibration. Loose connections and hardware increase electrical resistance and component movement during heating cycles.
Finally, the service technician will test the system extensively, including the heat pump’s refrigerant level and individual components. Insufficient refrigerant or components working suboptimally can add wear to the system, increasing the risk of a mid-season breakdown.
Clear Around the Outside Unit
Homes with heat pumps rely on the refrigerant absorbing heat from the air outside and bringing it into the house. To absorb that heat, the outdoor compressor must remain clear so that it can draw sufficient air. Clear any obstructions from around the unit, including tree branches, bushes, grass and landscaping structures.
Most manufacturers recommend clearing at least 2 feet around the sides of the unit and 5 feet above it. If you have a side-vented model, keep 5 feet clear on the outbound side of the unit.
Seek Professional Help When Needed
Aside from neglect, one of the largest contributors to mid-season breakdowns is attempting DIY repairs or maintenance. While some things may not seem complicated to complete, improper procedures risk reducing the system’s efficiency. What’s more, you can inadvertently damage other parts of the system while working on it.
Further complicating HVAC emergencies, attempting DIY repairs and maintenance may invalidate your factory warranty. Trying to save some money now may increase your long-term operating costs, which you’ll need to pay out of pocket without warranty coverage.
Improve Your Home’s Ventilation
Proper ventilation helps improve your indoor air quality and how well your system runs. Controlling the ventilation reduces the thermal energy loss you may experience through cracks or air leaks.
An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is an option that property owners gravitate to when trying to improve heating efficiency. This mechanical ventilator transfers heat from the warm outgoing air to the cool incoming air, effectively preheating the air.
Heed Small Problems
It’s easy to dismiss small issues that seem inconsequential. These could include a noise that isn’t bothersome, a faint smell or a little less air movement. Unfortunately, small problems rarely resolve on their own, and they usually precede bigger problems.
Also, small problems mean the system is already straining under normal operating conditions. Mid-winter temperatures strain your home’s HVAC system and can become too much for it to survive.
Your maintenance service technician may uncover some issues before they even show up as performance problems. Resolving these issues quickly keeps your system operating with the least strain possible so it’s ready to operate reliably when you need it most.
Reduce the chance that you’ll experience HVAC emergencies this winter by getting maintenance and resolving small problems. Call to schedule a heating repair or maintenance appointment with one of our NATE-certified service technicians at Grimes Heating & Air Conditioning.
Image provided by iStock
