Few things are more frustrating to a homeowner than needing HVAC work during the depths of winter or the hottest days of summer. The key to finding the right people to install new equipment or repair the old is to learn everything possible about the topic in advance. Read this article for advice.
Always make sure you are up-to-date about your HVAC unit. You need to know who manufactured the product and the item number. Also, get the maintenance records from your files if you have them. This makes sure your contractor will be sufficiently prepared.
Before contacting a repair service, do a short tour of the entire home. Find out which rooms are hot and which are cold. Doing so can help your technician fix your HVAC issue quickly.
What do you need done? Know this before calling a contractor. A contractor will be hard pressed to provide you with an over-the-phone estimate if unfamiliar with your system. They need to come look at the unit. It’s a good idea to learn this information in advance.
Clean the fan blades and coils on the condenser fan every spring. Be sure to turn the power off first; you don’t want anything to move. Then, remove the grill, then remove the blades and begin the cleaning process of the blades and the unit.
When the trees are losing their leaves, your HVAC unit can suffer. Frequently clean the fan grill when trees are shedding leaves. Your fan needs an unobstructed way to get air inside, and the more blocked up it becomes, the more headaches will develop for you with the system.
Make certain that an outdoor unit is in the shade. If it sucks in cool air, it will need to work less to coll the air inside, which can make it last longer.
If possible, your single pane windows should be replaced with double-paned ones. Double pane windows can help minimize how much you use your air conditioner in the summer, because they keep cool air inside the home. This also works during the cold months to keep the warm air inside.
A good way to save money with your air conditioning is by installing a programmable thermostat. It may save you as much as 10 percent of your overall utility bill if you turn your thermostat down by 10-15 degrees for a portion of the day. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from your smart phone or computer.
In order to keep energy costs down, make sure heating and cooling systems are services at least once per year. An HVAC specialist will inspect the entire system, including the oil, the motor, and the ducts. These things will boost the performance of your system.
If everyone is out, turn the air conditioner off. The house will only heat to certain level and a decent HVAC system can quickly cool this down once you are home. The unit will use a large amount of electricity to combat the heat during the day when the house is empty.
When you have no education on HVAC, finding the best HVAC contractor can be hard. But, with the right tips, you will know how to find a professional you can trust. Now you should feel competent with the whole process.