Tag: Maintenance

The Importance of HVAC Maintenance

Your heating, ventilation and cooling system is integral to your comfort, whether at home or in your place of work. To ensure this comfort is sustained, you should take every necessary step to ensure that you keep your HVAC system working all year round.

The benefits are incredibly long term. If your air conditioning system is maintained it can last for ten to fifteen years, while your heating can give you twenty to twenty-five years of quality service. This means lower cost of maintenance and the absence of major costs in case of a breakdown. However, getting the best deal off your HVAC system is not an overnight thing; you have to be deliberate about it.

You shouldn’t wait for something to go wrong before you schedule a maintenance visit. Anticipating problems and nipping them in the bud is one sure way to make sure that you get the best value out of your HVAC system for years to come.

In this article, we examine how you can ensure that your HVAC delivers the best value for years and the benefits of it.

Get an expert

While there are a lot of routine maintenance tasks that you can do on your own, some will require the input of a professional. An experienced technician will be sure to check loose connections, ensure your thermostat is working well, lubricate parts, and check system controls.

Nothing beats efficiency

A well-maintained HVAC system will perform at an optimum level of efficiency. Without regular maintenance, you might still have a working system but it is delivering poor value and is severely less efficient. Your system might keep cooling or heating but the strain on its internal workings means that it is consuming much more energy to perform at that level. The end result is a massive energy bill at the end of the month that leaves you scratching your head.

Comfort

There is nothing worse than your heating system breaking down right in the middle of winter or your cooling system leaving you stranded on one of the hottest days of the year. At those times, you would give almost anything to have it up and running. The key to ensuring comfort when you need it the most is to pre-empt it and ensure that you have your heating or cooling system running smoothly as you enter the appropriate season.

Safety

Proper maintenance does not only guarantee cost-effectiveness and comfort, it can also be the difference between you and a major hazard in your home. When your heating or cooling system is not properly maintained for a long while, it can quickly lead to problems that can affect you and your home. From short-circuiting to electrocution and air poisoning, the risks are much too high to compromise on maintenance.

Spring Heating & Cooling Maintenance

The spring season brings different changes to many things, including the weather. The temperatures can swing anywhere between soothing and frigid. A sunny day might be trailed by several days of rain.

As the spring climate is unpredictable, preparing your system bodes well. Keeping up with a healthy home is more than just traditional Spring Cleaning. During winter, numerous parts of your house are dismissed or are not used as frequently as others. Getting both the interior and exterior of your home in place for spring will guarantee that you are prepared to enjoy the warmer weather.

Below are some maintenance tips you will surely find helpful this season!

  1. Duct Cleaning

For better breathing and indoor air quality, you should hire an expert duct cleaner, usually every five to seven years. Amid an expert tune-up, an expert in HVAC can educate you on the condition of your air ducts. Talk with an expert about testing those air ducts for you.

  1. Air Filter

Changing the air filter during this season is a good idea, as well. Your air filters ought to be replaced based on need and use, normally around thirty-to-ninety days. Always examine and inspect your air filter monthly, ensuring whether it is clean enough to continue using or if it should be replaced.

Your air filters are critical to keeping up good and quality indoor air. If the air filter is messy, the air is likely also dirty. Moreover, if the air filter is messy, it is harder for your air conditioner/cooling system to carry out its activity; bringing about poor air current, increase wear and tear, and higher energy costs.

  1. Keep away from heat by using your windows and vents effectively.

Work your thermostat efficiently and make good use of your fans and other ventilation methods to help cool your home. Check all vents and window seals to ensure that you shield hot air from leaking into your home.

You should observe that your cooling system is efficiently running. Lighting and appliances can increase the heat inside your house, making your system work overtime and cause wear and tear. Try to limit the appliances running together, especially during peak hours.

  1. Regulate your thermostat to a comfortable level.

This is a season to keep your home warmer than ordinary when you are away, and regulate down the thermostat setting to 68°F (approximately 20°C) just when you are at home and need cooling. A thermostat that could be programmed will make this easy to reset your temperature.

Learn how to use your thermostat to save more energy.

Refrain from setting the thermostat colder than typical when you are using air conditioner. This won’t cool your home any quicker and could bring about overcooling and other costs that are not necessary.

There you have it, a few tips to make sure your home is prepared for the pleasure this spring season has to offer.

DIY Help – Caulking Your Windows

Winter is fast ending, but that doesn’t mean we’re finished with this subject just yet. If you have checked your windows for drafts, that’s good! If not, you probably should. This isn’t just a winter problem, as drafts around seals, especially windows, can make your system run overtime any day of the year. That can mean higher bills.

Nobody wants that.

So, in addition to smart thermostat settings and an even temperature maintenance, here’s another way you can keep your system running smoothly and efficiently. Start by taking a candle and holding it around the edges of your window. This works best on windy days. The candle flame will move when you encounter a draft. This tells you that your caulking on the outside is likely old and/or cracked. This can happen easily in the summer sun, especially after some time has passed. This article on DIY Network’s website tells you what you need and how to replace the glaze and caulk around your windows.

A Friendly Reminder…

If winter wasn’t here before, it’s knocked on the door a time or two in the last couple weeks. Last month, we gave you a posting about tips for energy efficiency this winter. We’re going to go over some this month, as well. You want your home to be warm and toasty, right? Of course you do. Here are a few tricks to make sure that your heating bill doesn’t grow this winter. Some of these tricks you might know, but there might be one you don’t.

Outside

Just like you wouldn’t ignore problems inside, don’t pass by any problem areas around the outside of your home. Here are a few things you might consider checking:

Insulate the roof. It certainly isn’t the first thing most would think about, but insulating your roof is a cost-effective way to keep heat from escaping and letting the cold air come inside. It’s kind of like a stocking cap for your house. This can range from as simple as making sure the insulation in your attic looks good (and fixing it where it’s not), to as in depth as adding a “radiant barrier” (the stuff that looks a little bit like tin foil) underneath for added protection.

Check your siding. While you can’t insulate your existing siding, it’s more about the builder purchasing siding with good insulation. What you can do is check for problem areas, such as rotten areas on wood siding, cracks where that precious warmth you’re paying for might be escaping, or even caulking that’s shrunken or cracked over time.

Assess windows and doors. I’ve mentioned this before, but it is super easy and important. All you need to do is buy a can of caulk to close any cracks or holes in door and window frames (be sure to check on the outside and inside), and use weather stripping tape on more severe areas. Change your screens if you have storm windows.
 
Clean the gutters. Cleaning the debris out of your gutters will help prevent roof damage.

Check the chimney. If you have a working chimney, this is a big one. Creosote, a flammable substance, can build up in the chimney above a wood-burning fire. So be sure to have the chimney cleaned!

Inside

So, you’ve checked the outside of the house. Still having problems? Just want to be sure you don’t lose any heat? Keep reading for a few tricks to make sure the inside of your home doesn’t aid in the loss of heat (or the general increase in your energy bill.

Hang curtains. If you notice a draft inside, and you’ve already caulked the seals around your windows and doors, you can always hang heavy curtains to help trap the heat.

Change the filters in your HVAC system. This is one of the easiest and most important indoor tips. You should have the HVAC filter changed once a month during heavy-use periods (like winter) and once a season, otherwise. A yearly checkup on the whole system is also encouraged.

Furnace Maintenance and Winter-Proofing For the Home

You can feel the cold air coming in through every available air space and your energy bills increasing with each passing day. Well, that’s winter for you. While you cannot wish winter away and skip to spring, you can put certain things in place at home, such as maintaining your furnace and winter-proofing your home, so that you can stay as warm as possible and enjoy the season for what it is!

Furnace Maintenance

Routine Check: this is the time of the year when you cannot have a faulty furnace. Have your furnace checked to ensure that it is clean, well oiled, and rightly tuned to take you through winter. The plus side is that a furnace that’s in great condition is cheaper to use in the long run.

Change Filters: dirty filters will limit the flow of air and expend more energy. Check your filters to see if they need to be changed and always have extra filters handy. Do not change filters without switching off the power first.

Upgrade: Your furnace was not made to last forever. The average lifespan of a furnace is 20-25 years and its age will determine the kind of maintenance it’ll need and if you’re due for a repair, replacement or upgrade. If your furnace has aged to the point where it’s more faulty than functional, or where its efficiency cannot be guaranteed, you need to consult an expert to upgrade to a new unit.

Your Fan Is Winter Friendly Too: I bet you think of your fan only when you want cool air but that’s not all your fan can do. Check for a handy switch on your fan, this switch reverses the direction in which the blade moves i.e clockwise rotation for warmer air. So you can take the heat off your furnace once in a while and reduce your heating costs by at least 10%.

Winter-proof Your Home

Draft Protection: Cold drafts of air can frustrate the efforts you put towards keeping your home warm or make it seem like your furnace isn’t efficient. So, while you’re thinking of keeping the warmth in, be sure that there are no channels to let in drafts. A thick towel or scraps of fabric rolled and arranged nicely can be put under doors and windows to keep out the cold.

Storm Doors and Windows: Storm doors and windows are designed to increase energy efficiency. They keep drafts out while allowing light and ventilation in.

Insulation Kits: A window insulation kit will increase your home’s ability to retain heat. It comes in invisible and aesthetically appealing kits, so your home will be warm and welcoming. You will also need regular insulation for your attic floors, basement ceilings, pipes, and walls. Have your duct system checked and sealed to avoid the escape of heated air.

Caulking and Weather-stripping: Check along places in your home where different building materials meet such as window and door edges, exit points for pipes and wires, etc. Seal up any gaps accordingly with caulking and weather-stripping.

Summer Home Exterior Cleaning

Take care of your home this summer by washing the outside of your house and cleaning the siding. It is best to use a garden hose instead of a pressure washer to avoid damaging the exterior of your home.

Check Your Fences

Damage can happen to your wood fence during the winter, so check your fence boards for any leaning, warping or rotting. Be sure Almost one-fifth of these cases are related to male infertility disease? Few amount of semen: Generally speaking, normal ejaculatory amount is about icks.org generic cialis no prescription 2 ~ 6ml. But there are factors which causes the reduction in the desire. cheap cialis pills Likewise, oysters and chocolates have always been viewed as alternatives to cialis fast delivery look at this pharmacy shop that assists in increasing one’s libido. To discover more about the free trial, the customers are king, the consumers seek out what a cheat the brand was and the prescription cialis on line was none but kamagra. to check the base of your posts to see if there’s any deterioration so a strong wind won’t cause it to fall!

Put this on your “TO DO” list NOW!

We know your schedule is busy, but make sure scheduling your seasonal maintenance is on your to-do list. As part of Air Handlers’ maintenance services, we offer convenient “courtesy calendaring” service – customers can receive a reminder call from Air Handlers when it is time for preventive maintenance, and by taking advantage of that reminder, receive a discounted price!

Save money! Sign up today and ask for more details. (360) 357-4428

Helpful Air Conditioning Unit Tips

Seasonal HVAC maintenance is important, but there are a few things you can do as homeowners to help keep things running smoothly. Remember to keep AC and heat units free of leaves, pollen & grass and inspect refrigerant lines each month.

This air filter photo will make you think twice about putting off maintenance

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes put off changing the air filter at my house. That constant little blinking light on the thermostat doesn’t even do the trick. But don’t put off replacing that filter! Take a look at that dirty air filter…gross!

Your air filter keeps both your unit and your airstream clean by trapping particles. As the filter does its job, it becomes dirty and a source of pollution. Remember to change your air filter every 60-90 days.