When a contractor gives you a list of references, be sure to make use of it. Call the people on the list and ask about the quality of the work, how closely they came to their quote and whether or not the work was completed according to the promised timeline.
If you must hire someone to help you out with your HVAC system, be sure to learn about all of the requirements your state has legislated regarding licencing and insurance. You need to be able to ask anyone you plan to hire if they meet these requirements before you hire them.
If the fan on your condenser includes oil ports, they must be lubricated annually. You'll find these ports are covered with a metal or rubber cap. Use a lightweight, detergent-free SAE 20 oil, putting 10 drops in each port.
Make sure you ask for an estimate in writing before choosing a specific HVAC vendor. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to purchasing these big items. You'll want to compare not only the cost of the equipment, but also the set up and the overall energy costs.
Clean your filters! If you have a window unit air conditioner, there will be a filter right under the grill you can vacuum. If you have a furnace or outdoor units, they will also have filters to be cleaned or replace. A dirty filter can make your unit inefficient or even let it overheat.
Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out if your HVAC system needs to be fixed or needs to be replaced. If your system frequently breaks down, is always turning on or off on its own, or if your bills are too high, it may pay to have it replaced. Otherwise, little things can just be fixed.
If you have fans in place to help make your HVAC more efficient, be sure that they're turning in the right direction. They should be pushing air downwards over the people in the room to help cool their skin. If it's blowing upwards, all it does is push hot air into the room.
If you want to cool your home in the summer without using your air conditioning on full, consider installing fans in your home. An attic fan can blow hot air out while sucking in cool air into your basement, and ceiling fans help distribute the air in your rooms evenly.
Don't let your home get too hot. Air conditioners only cool down a home by 20 degrees. So, if your home temp reaches 100 degrees, your air conditioning will only bring that temp down to about 80 degrees. Depending on humidity levels, this isn't even a safe temperature for a human body to sleep at to recover from summer heat.
Consider an annual service agreement for technicians to regularly inspect your AC unit. Schedule brief inspections for the winter to make sure nothing is obviously wrong. The most important time for an inspection and service is just before it starts getting warm. You don't want to discover an AC breakdown when you need it working most.
Icing up is common in air conditioners. In addition, the drain line sometimes freezes, and people often think that there is a plumbing leak. Change your thermostat in situations like this. You should call a pro to fix this problem, even if switching it to its fan setting starts making the ice melt.
If your home gets hot in the summer and you'd like to use your air conditioner less read more often, consider a metal roof. It reflects the heat right back up into the sky, allowing your home to gain less heat on sunny days. Since metal roofs are permanent, you'll save on repair and replacement costs also.
A great way to reduce the stress on your HVAC unit is to install ceiling fans in your home. During the summer, you can have them blow downward to cool the air and make your home feel more comfortable. In the winter you can reverse the direction and circulate warm air trapped at the ceiling.
Choose a good HVAC company. You need to find one that has a solid reputation. It's important that it has been around for several years and is backed by a good reputation in customer service. Find one that has trained professionals and qualified technicians to help with all kinds of customer needs. They should be able to handle any HVAC job no matter how simple or complex.
After reading the above article, you should now know that your HVAC system should be properly maintained. If you let it go, you will only end up with major problems in the future. The last thing you want is to come home one day and realize you have no air coming through your vents. To prevent this from happening, study the tips that you just read to ensure the HVAC in your home lasts a very long time.
