Anyone that has an HVAC system in their home knows the importance of properly maintaining it. An HVAC unit operating at minimum efficiency is costing money on pricey repairs. This article can help you tips to keep your HVAC unit in optimal condition.
Know what you need before you select an HVAC contractor. It will be hard for a contractor to provide you a price estimate over the phone without knowing what your current setup is. It will be more hard if you over the phone without the information readily available.
Clean your condenser’s fan and coils each spring to ensure that your condenser fan operates at it’s best.Clean off any leaves or debris from your condenser unit.
Clean the debris on your condenser unit. You never know when things can pile up, like right after it’s windy or rains, and that can ruin your system. It can cause your unit.
Turn the power off so you don’t get hurt or break something. Then, pop off its grills, pull the blades out, and gently clean them as well as the unit itself.
Don’t get grass clippings on your outdoor condenser. Aim your grass in a direction away from the unit. This also applies to leaf blowing and any other yard work that results in the yard.
Sae 20 Oil
Lubricate the oil ports on your condenser once a year. You can easily find these ports covered with rubber or metal cap. Use SAE 20 oil that is non-detergent and lightweight, detergent-free SAE 20 oil, but make sure to avoid overfilling them.
Put outdoor unit in the shade if you are installing them.
Have the HVAC system inspected twice a year at the least.This should happen in the fall and malfunctions.
During the service check, they will inspect the motor of the system, inspect the motor and the freon levels. These things will keep your system to run at its peak performance.
Don’t let your home temperature get dangerously high. Air conditioners can only really cool a home down 20 degrees or so within a reasonable time period. If the temperature in your home rises to 100 degrees F or higher, it will only reduce it to 80 or more. This won’t be a safe and comfortable temperature for you to sleep in.
Look for air conditioner sizing calculators online to help you determine the size of unit you need for your room or home. Look at the manual or on the manufacturer website for air conditioners.
Speak with someone close to you to see if they can recommend someone good to service their HVAC contractor. People who have had a good experience are often happy to share the name of it. This will also let you with good information on which contractors you should avoid hiring.
Contractors charge different rates, so make sure to get multiple quotes. You can save tons of money by doing your homework. You may want to get quotes from at least five contractors to determine what reasonable rates are.
A radiant barrier improves the efficiency of your HVAC unit.It will make sure you won’t have to use more energy to keep your home and the outside. You may even use the attic space more effectively.
Check the ducts to find any leaks if you you feel your unit seems to not up to snuff. When you repair the leaks, you may see that the testing pays for itself.
If you hear a clicking noise coming from the HVAC unit, there may be something obstructing it. Often it is being caused by debris that’s hitting fans in the cooling system. Check it out yourself first before calling a repairman.
Make sure they are tightly sealed so air inside. You can also hire a professional to test them.
Measure the area you wish to cool before buying a unit. You can figure out the unit you need 20 BTU for each square foot of room space. If more than one room needs AC service, add together their square footage to reach this calculation.
Replace the air filter monthly to keep your HVAC system every month. This will maximize the production of your unit run properly.
Pick out an HVAC business that understands the unit and works quickly to solve the problem. The best companies make sure their technicians stay on schedule.The technicians need to also know how to find the problem quickly. After they figure out what is causing the problem, they should be able to get the work done quickly for your sake.
Any HVAC contractor you hire should have an emergency hotline. They owe it to you to show up to fix anything, in any weather.
Some contractors attempt to add charges on later for fuel charges. Having a written contract will help you avoid these types of issues.
Cover your condenser unit for protection in the winter.This will ensure that your unit is sustained when you’re not using it. Use the fan instead to avoid straining the condenser unit.
The condenser needs to be properly taken care of in cold weather. Try placing a cover on it that will help it to stay warm.
Be sure to ask for written HVAC company are in writing. These estimates need to be written down on paper. There are many jobs that require you have to get multiple estimates of the cost. This can help you are getting a good deal on your service. Compare various elements of the deals that you are offered.
Now that you went through this article on HVAC, it shouldn’t be hard to understand what you need to do to keep things running well for a while. Avoid costly repairs and downtime with proper maintenance. Refer back to these tips to ensure that your HVAC lasts for a very long time.