The cooling and heating system in your home plays a major role in your comfort. To ensure that this continues to happen, it’s important to care for the system properly. By maintaining your HVAC system, you can extend its life and avoid expensive repairs. What follows is a compilation of tips to help you keep your HVAC system in working order.
Before choosing an HVAC contractor, think of what you wish to have done. Discussing the problem is simplified if you understand what has happened with the unit. It will be even harder if you cannot explain what you have done. Thus, it is worthwhile to have this knowledge ahead of time.
Fan Blades
Help the outside condenser fan run efficiently by cleaning the coils and fan blades before the summer starts. Before you do clean the coils and fan blades, always take the precaution of turning off all power to the unit. Also, be sure to clear leaves and debris from your condenser unit.
If there are condenser units as part of your HVAC system, clean them often as they tend to have lots of debris. Falling leaves and wind or rain may cause debris to reduce the efficiency of your unit. It may even overheat, which can ruin your system.
Clean the fan blades and coils in your condenser each spring. Shut the power off before you do anything. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
Lubricate your condenser yearly if it has oil ports. The port usually has either a rubber or metal cap on top of it. Choose a SAE 20 oil whch is lightweight and non-detergent and place 10 drops or less into each port, ensuring it doesn’t overfill.
A good place to place your compressor unit outside is in a shady spot. The cooler air entering the unit will require less work to get to the proper temperature.
Put outdoor units in the shade if you are installing them. When your unit sucks in cooler air, then much less is required to cool it further, which saves you money on energy bills.
When the weather starts to cool down, make sure you turn off outdoor condenser units. If temps go below 60 you run the risk of damaging a unit that remains on. This helps your system remain in good working order.
Pane Windows
If you own your own home or have permission from your landlord, replace your single pane windows with double paned versions. Double pane windows help minimize your air conditioning repair Conway use in the summer by keeping the cooler air inside your home. Your home will also stay warmer in the winter.
A programmable thermostat can really help you out when it comes to your power bills. These can save you around 10 percent on your heating and cooling costs by just turning it back 10 percent to 15 percent for around eight hours each day. Additionally, these items can be controlled remotely through your computer.
It is possible for air conditioners to ice over. You may even encounter a freeze in your drain line which is often confused with a plumbing leak. Use the fan-only setting to allow the system time to thaw. If the issue persists, call in help.
Find out how many years an HVAC company has been in business before you hire them. Companies that are around awhile have a better record than those that haven’t been. You will be taking a risk if you hire a newer contractor.
You now have an idea of what it takes to keep an HVAC system running great. Maintain your unit on a monthly basis. Use what you’ve learned to keep your system up and running.
Call us at Air Conditioning Repair Conway AR today at 501-499-8711