5 Ways to Prepare Your HVAC System for Winter
Winter HVAC needs can vastly differ from summertime cooling requirements. Shifting your mindset and that of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems is greatly improved with some planning. Preparing your home for winter warming will ensure that you have heat when it is colder, and your equipment will operate more efficiently.
Here are five ways to ready your HVAC system for the winter.
1. Install or Reprogram your Thermostat
Using technology to control the temperature settings in your home is a terrific way to prepare for the winter. If you do not have a programmable or smart thermostat, it is time to explore purchasing and installing one. Contact your professional HVAC technician for suggestions on which smart thermostat would work best for your HVAC system.
Once you have a programmable thermostat, you need to alter its settings as the weather changes. Consider turning up your temperature about a half an hour before you get up in the morning. If everyone in your household leaves for the day, adjust the settings. Then program the heat to turn back on for your arrival home.
2. Change your Air Filters
Dust and pollen from the summer months have been removed from the air in your home by your air conditioner’s filters. With the change of the seasons, change your air filters. Clogged filters strain your HVAC system, so it is important to remove dirty filters and replace them with new ones. Shifting from cooling to heating seasons is a good time to replace your filters.
At the same time, an inspection of your ductwork should occur. Just as the filters gathered dust over the summer, ductwork does as well. Hire a professional to clean your ducts and remove any mildew that might be accumulating.
3. Clean and Inspect
Another area to clean and inspect is around your furnace. Over the summer, things might have been left near the furnace. Before you start using your heat, make sure that the area around your heating units is free from clutter.
Also, check the space around your vents. With usage, carpets, furniture, or other household items have been moved and are now blocking the flow of air.
4. Turn the Units On and Off
Before it is too cold to be without heat, turn your heating unit on. You can perform this task once a month leading up to winter. If your furnace does not readily turn on, you have time to call your HVAC professional. Your HVAC technicians then have the time to inspect and repair your system without it being an emergency.
Waiting until the first day of chilly weather to turn on your heat can cause problems if the heat does not work.
5. Schedule an Annual Tune-up
It is important to have your HVAC system cleaned, inspected, and maintained by a professional at least once a year. A tune-up will not only ensure that you have heat during the winter, but it will also ensure that your system operates more efficiently. This will reduce the amount of energy you consume, lower your energy costs, and increase the longevity of your units.
