How To Prepare Your hvac System for Winter

We're now in the middle of fall, and no doubt you've felt the cold winds already. With the cold seasons approaching, it's time to prepare your home's air conditioning system. Here are some tips from experts to help you do just that:

Prepare Your HVAC System For Winter
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Another term for this is "winterizing." You want to winterize your HVAC system for colder weather. Typically you'll want to do this before temps reaches below zero. So, here are Jade's professional tips for winterizing:
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• Purchase draft snakes to keep heated air leaking out and the other way around.
• Re-caulk the holes and fix window weather-stripping, pipes, and foundation to reduce the costs of heating.
• Switch out the air filter to make sure that you don't suffer from allergens.
• Call a specialist to clean the vents.
• Keep fans running clockwise to diminish warming costs.
• Decrease the temperature of your water heater to about one hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit.
• Insulate pipes.

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​Schedule An HVAC Maintenance Appointment

Unexpected costs, repairs, and emergencies can happen. Don't think it can't happen to you. To help prevent these things from occurring, you should schedule an appointment seasonally (at least once every 3-4 months).

During the fall, an HVAC professional will go through the below tasks on your central system:

• Check if your thermostat is working accurately.
• Oil your motors.
• Examine belts for tightness and wear.
• Double-check if your electric control sequence is correct.
• Check the evaporator coil's airflow.
• Check for leaks in ducts and seal them up if necessary.
• See if the correct amount of refrigerant is present.
• Clean the air ducts.

Adjust Your Thermostat For Fall

When we experience time changes, we change the times on our clocks. Well, people need to get in the habit of changing their thermostats when the seasons change, too. Raise or lower the temp depending on your own comfort level. There are programmable thermostats that will adjust temperature based on your preferences.

Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips

Here are more things to keep in mind to improve the efficiency of your unit during the fall.

• If it doesn't feel like the heat is working or turning on, get in touch with an HVAC expert.
• Use a hose to get rid of debris that can stop the flow of clean air.
• Clean your AC's coils - the dirt from summer collects on them, and it reduces airflow or will cause your AC to absorb heat.
• Condenser damage can occur if you switch the setting to "cold" during autumn. To avoid this possibility, be sure to shut off the unit's power when not in use. You can find this switch in a shut-off box on the outside wall close to the condenser unit.
• Don’t leave your AC unit's pipes and wires exposed (especially those inside your home) - cover them with foam. Duct tape will help make the foam stay put and will also prevent pipes from cracking (frozen pipes can crack up).

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And finally, next spring, be sure to turn on the power 24 hours before using your air conditioning unit.