An HVAC unit is a valuable system is something that many people pick to have inside their home. An HVAC unit that helps keep a house at a comfortable for you throughout the year. You will likely need to hire a contractor to install it and maintain it. The following information will help you understand how to handle your HVAC as well.
If your HVAC is giving you problems, tour your home before calling a technician. Find out which rooms are hot and which are cold. This gives the repairer a starting point to work from.
If your HVAC is giving you problems, check out your home before calling a contractor. This will help the contractor determine what the problem is and how to fix it.
Know what work you need before you hire a contractor. It will be difficult for an HVAC contractor to give you with an estimate on the phone without knowing what your current setup is. It will be way more hard if you over the phone without the information readily available.
In order to keep your outside condenser fan running efficiently, make sure the coils and the fan blades are cleaned before the cooling season begins. Turn off the power if you are going to work on your HVAC system. Also, make sure you remove any debris or leaves from the condenser unit outside.
Clean your fan blades and coils when the weather begins to warm. Clean the outside of your external condenser unit.
Clean the debris on an external condenser units. You don’t know when things are going to pile up, especially after a windy or rainy storm, and that can ruin your system. It can cause a disaster with your system to malfunction by overheating.
Clean the coils on the condenser fan from time to time. First, the power should be turned off so things don’t move as you work. Then, take off the grill and get the blades out. Clean everything with care.
Turn the power off first so you don’t get hurt or break something. Next, pop off the grill, put the blades out and start to gently clean them along with the unit.
Don’t let grass clippings on your outside unit. Aim the grass cuttings in a direction from your unit. This also applies when you are taking care of the leaves in the yard.
Make sure clippings don’t get on your outdoor units when your mowing your lawn. Direct the grass clippings in a direction away from the HVAC unit. This applies when you are taking care of the leaves in the yard.
During your service visit, they will inspect the motor of the system, oil the unit’s moving parts and ensure the unit has proper freon levels. These simple things will help your HVAC system running smoothly.
Don’t let your home temperature get way too hot to where it’s dangerous. Air conditioners really can only cool a home by just twenty degrees in a short time. If your home become 100F or more, cooling it will only drop the temperature to 80 degrees F. This won’t be a safe and comfortable temperature for you to sleep in.
In order for your new unit to be as efficient as possible, or to make older units more efficient, make sure it’s put in a shaded area. Your air conditioner won’t have to work so hard if the air is sucks in is already cool.
Look for air conditioner sizing calculators online to help you determine the size of unit you need for your home. Look in the manual to determine the manufacturer website for air conditioners.
Companies that are around awhile have a better record than those that can help you decide if they’re worth your money and time. Hiring a newer contractor may be taking a bigger risk.
When the weather starts to cool down, make sure you turn off outdoor condenser units. If the temperature drops to under 60 degrees, you risk damage to the unit if you leave it on. You will save in repair bills and increase the efficiency of your system.
There are quite a few sites these days that let customers to share their experiences with contractors. This is a great way to find decent people you want to work with and those you don’t want to work with.
Contractors are responsible for their own charges and fees, so make sure that you acquire multiple estimates. You can save a great deal of money by asking for many quotes. You may want to call at least five contractors in order to know what reasonable rates are.
If you’re away from home during the day, raise the temperature setting on your air conditioner to save money. Turning it off does allow the temperature to rise, but only so far. Leaving it on for the entire day means that it is struggling to keep things cool, something that takes lots of energy.
Think about getting a radiant barrier installed in your attic so your HVAC system can run better. It ensures that your unit stays hot outside. You may even find that you can use the attic as part of your living space if it is done right.
Check the ducts to find any leaks if your existing system is not up to snuff. When you get leaks repaired, you’ll see that the tests paid for themselves.
Problems with an air conditioning unit happen when it ices up. Drain lines can also suffer an occasional freeze, and these are sometimes mistaken for plumbing leak issues. If this happens, turn the thermostat so it is on fan only mode, which will disable the compressor. Talk to a professional if you are unsure of how to do this.
Figure out which direction your home is facing so your HVAC system can work better. If there is less heat coming into your home, your AC will work less.
These tips should be of use when you have to tackle contractors or HVAC units. Get it installed properly, fix it when necessary and maintain it over time. Apply all the ideas you can from this particular article to make wise choices in all matters relating to heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
When you’re purchasing an HVAC system, make sure that you get a unit that is properly sized for your space. A unit that is bigger than you need simply isn’t efficient. Check the manual it comes with for the information you need.