HVAC sounds like a complicated topic. Ignorance can be scary. However, you can learn quite a bit which you can use to help you.
Before calling someone to repair your system, make sure you know what kind of HVAC system you actually have. Look for the maintenance history and brand and model. This will ensure that you can give your new contractor all the information they need.
If your HVAC is giving you problems, tour your home before calling a technician. You will be looking to see which of your rooms feel hotter or colder than they should be. Figuring this out will the contractor to diagnose the issues and quickly get to work on fixing it.
If you have condenser units outside your home, be sure to clean out the debris from them often. Things tend to pile up around these units, especially after storms come through, which could cause problems to your system. The whole thing can overheat, causing major problems and possibly an enormous expense for you.
Clean your condenser’s fan blades and coil in the spring. Turn it off first so you don’t get hurt or break something. Then, take the grill off, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
Grass Clippings
Avoid showering your outdoor unit with grass clippings when you mow the lawn. Now so the grass clippings are shot away from your unit. This applies when you are taking care of the leaves in the yard.
If you have a fan condenser with oil ports, it needs to be lubricated every year. A rubber or metal cap is typically placed over such ports. You should select an SAE 20 oil since it is lightweight and does not contain detergent. Be sure to use just 10 drops or so, or your system may overfill.
Turn off any outdoor condensers you have when the weather gets cold. To prevent damage, turn off your unit if the outside temperature is less than 60 degrees. You will save in repair bills and increase the efficiency of your system.
One way to save some money with A/C is by having a programmable thermostat installed. It changes the temperature so the system isn’t in use when it’s cooler outside or no one is home. Plus, some models allow you to control them over the internet or from a smartphone.
If nobody is home, turn off the AC. The house will only heat up to a certain point. Obviously, if you leave your air conditioning set at a low temperature all day long even if you’re not home, you’ll be paying to maintain that low temperature.
Never allow the temperature in your home to rise to a dangerously high level. Air conditioners cannot sufficiently cool down unreasonably high temps. A home that is over one hundred degrees will only be cooled to around eighty. While it depends on the humidity, this is not safe for a human to sleep in to recover from the heat of the summer.
Familiarizing yourself with HVAC topics should have happened easily, all thanks to reading this piece. Most people need motivation before they can really get into working on their system. You will make things much easier on yourself after learning more about it!
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