As the blustering cold winter weather gives way to the cozy warmth of the springtime, many homeowners are starting to plan out their summertime fun. One thing you don’t want to forget to do is your springtime HVAC maintenance checklist. If you don’t have one, we’re going to share with you the top tasks you’ll need to complete this spring season.
Schedule Professional Maintenance Service
One of the most important tasks on your list should be contacting a local HVAC technician to perform service on your cooling system. This professional service will help to ensure that your cooling system is working at its peak efficiency level and is typically necessary to maintain warranty coverage on your unit. While your HVAC technician will take care of a large part of getting your air conditioning system ready for summer, there are still some things that you’ll need to do as a homeowner.
Clean Up Your Units
Before your HVAC service appointment, it’s a good idea to spend some time cleaning up around your air conditioning units. First, make sure that there’s a clear path to your indoor air handler unit so that your technician can easily perform service on it. Next, you’ll want to clear back any debris that is surrounding your outdoor condenser unit. If there are any low-hanging branches or shrubs within a three-foot radius of your outdoor unit, make sure to trim them back. Having adequate airflow is absolutely necessary to ensure peak performance from your cooling system.
Straighten Your Metal Fins
While you’re cleaning up outside around your condenser unit, you’ll also want to assess the condition of the metal fins. These are located on the metal housing unit and are responsible for allowing adequate airflow for the entire outdoor unit. Since these fins are relatively flexible, they can become bent when they come into contact with debris. For example, a tree limb falling against your unit could cause a row of metal fins to be bent out of position.
You can use a flat screwdriver or a specialized fin comb to bend these metal fins back to their normal position. Fin combs are typically available at local hardware stores and are sold in varying sizes. To understand what size you need, you’ll want to pick out one square inch on the outside of your compressor housing and count how many fins are in it.
Check Your Vents
Each main room of your home should have both a supply and a return vent. These need to have adequate space around them to ensure the free flow of air throughout your cooling system. Be sure to move any furniture or other objects that could be obstructing the airflow of your ventilation system. Be sure to assess the overall state of your vents, as dirty vents may signal that it’s time for duct cleaning.
Get Your Ducting Cleaned
Over time, airborne pollutants can start to build up inside of your ducting. When this happens, it will not only reduce your indoor air quality but also decrease the efficiency of your cooling system. If you start to notice unwanted debris buildup, then it’s time to have your HVAC technician clean out your ducting. As they’re cleaning your ducting, they can also alert you to any holes or gaps that are developing in your ducting. This way, you can get them fixed before you start using your cooling system on a consistent basis. Turn to us for duct cleaning!
Order Extra Air Filters
As your cooling system runs throughout the summer months, its air filter will start to become clogged with debris. The dirtier your air filter gets, the harder it’s going to be for your cooling system to adequately cool your home. Now is a great time to ensure that you order extra air filters. This way, they’re on hand when you notice that your cooling system’s air filter needs to be replaced.
Set Your Thermostat
One of the best things that you can do to ensure that your air conditioning system is operating as efficiently as possible is to install a programmable or smart thermostat. These thermostats allow you to easily set different desired temperatures depending on the time of day and the day of the week.
Essentially, you can set the temperature to be higher during the daytime when no one is home and cooler in the evenings while you’re trying to relax. By programming your thermostat at the beginning of the season, you can rest assured that you’re doing everything possible to keep your energy bills in check.
Don’t Forget Your Ceiling Fans
As you’re performing your springtime HVAC checklist, it’s the perfect time to switch the direction of your ceiling fans. While they will turn in a clockwise direction for the winter months, they need to be switched over to a counterclockwise direction for the summer months. This will help to force air down onto you and make you feel cooler than the room actually is. When you feel more comfortable at a higher room temperature, your cooling system can run less and provide you with more energy savings.
Test Your System
Now is the perfect time to turn on your air conditioning system and ensure that it’s working properly. You’ll want to switch your thermostat from heating mode over to cooling mode. Then, you can set the temperature about five degrees colder than the ambient room temperature. Make sure your system kicks on and that cold air is coming out of each one of your supply vents.
Check for Air Leaks
When it comes to ensuring that your cooling system is working as efficiently as possible, you also need to look outside of your system. Air leaks that develop around the doors and windows of your home can end up causing your air conditioning system to work much harder to adequately cool down your home.
Do yourself a favor and check around these key areas to see if you feel any outside air coming into your home. When this happens, it’s a good idea to use caulking or weatherstripping to seal them up. This will do wonders for reducing your energy bills throughout the long summer months.
Consider Air Duct Sealing Service
If your air ducts haven’t been assessed by a licensed HVAC technician in over five years, it could be time to get your ducting accessed. Over time, unwanted gapping can occur at your joints, and pinhole leaks can develop. The more gaps and leaks that your ducting endures, the more of that nice cold air is seeping into your walls instead of into your rooms. An HVAC technician can come in and seal up those unwanted leaks to ensure that you’re not losing any of the cold air produced in your ducting.
Call for Professional HVAC Maintenance
Accurate Home Services provides top-quality professional HVAC maintenance for the Crandall, TX area. We can also assist with all of your heating, cooling, electrical, indoor air quality, ductless mini split, and heat pump needs. Call us today to schedule your next service appointment.
