HVAC Maintenance Tips

5 Things to Remember When Completing your Fall HVAC Maintenance

September 17, 2015

With milder temperatures and lower humidity, fall is a great time to catch up on all of your home maintenance that you may have put on hold during the summer months. One home maintenance task you may especially need is service on your HVAC system. By performing HVAC maintenance, you’ll likely enjoy greater comfort, better indoor air quality and improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Do you know why maintaining your home’s HVAC system is important and what a homeowner can do to make sure they’re comfortable all winter long?

Why HVAC Maintenance is Important

Like a car, HVAC systems require maintenance to function properly. No matter if it’s 70 degrees or 20 degrees, it’s important to make sure that HVAC maintenance is not on the backburner. What happens when HVAC maintenance isn’t performed? It can vary, but here are a few things that could happen:

  • Emergency repairs. Poorly maintained HVAC systems will likely require more emergency repairs than one that is properly maintained during months of hard use. Ensuring that a unit is up-to-date on maintenance can mean less worry that it will breakdown when you need it the most.
  • Inefficiency. Dirty or unmaintained parts of HVAC systems must work harder to produce the same amount of heating or cooling than a well-maintained system. Furthermore, the inefficiency of a unit could be leading to higher energy bills.
  • Air quality. Dirty coils and ducts can cause air quality problems in a home. Depending on your location, mold can develop, sending contaminants lofting through your home.

What Do You Need to Remember During HVAC Maintenance

There’s no reason to fear regular HVAC maintenance. Below are some simple steps that a homeowner can take when it comes to maintaining their HVAC systems. Make time in your schedule to complete these fall HVAC maintenance tasks and keep your home cozy all winter long!

Put Your A/C to Bed

Your A/C should be adequately prepared for a well-deserved winter break. During the cooling months, the evaporator coil collects a substantial amount of dirt and sometimes mold development. These contaminants obstruct heated airflow. You can effectively clean the evaporator with a disinfecting foaming coil cleaner.

Change Your Furnace Filter

Regular air filter changes protect HVAC components from dirt and your pocketbook from higher energy bills. Be sure to stay on top of filter changes (or cleaning, as applicable) through the heating months. A clean filter may save as much as 15 percent on heating and cooling costs.

Check Your Smoke and CO Detectors

Nothing is more important than home safety. Check all smoke and CO detectors in your home. If they operate on batteries, change them regularly on a memorable date, such as the first day of fall or daylight savings time. Make sure you have a CO and smoke detector on each floor of living space in your home and each bedroom.

Don’t Forget Your Ceiling Fans

If you’re not using your ceiling fans during the heating months, you should be! Reverse the direction of ceiling fans so that airflow is pulled up to the ceiling. This helps evenly distribute heated airflow without the wind-chill effect.

Double Check Sealing and Insulation

A little caulk, weatherstripping and insulation go a long way to enhancing home comfort and earning substantial energy savings year after year. Seal windows, entry doors, and the attic hatch with caulk and weatherstripping. Attic insulation should be as high as R-60 in our Des Moines area. That’s about 16 to 18 inches of fiberglass insulation.

Should HVAC Maintenance be Done by Homeowners or Professionals?

As you saw above, some HVAC maintenance can be done without the help of a professional. However, not all maintenance should be done by a homeowner. Certain parts of the tune up need to be done by a professional with specific skills and tools. Here is what you can expect when you call a professional to perform your HVAC service:

  • Lubricate all moving parts of the system
  • Check system controls
  • Inspect the gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger
  • Clean and adjust the blower
  • Inspect the condensate drain

Lozier Heating and Cooling is an Expert in HVAC Maintenance

We know the last thing you want to encounter is a broken down HVAC system when the temperatures become brisker, so don’t neglect maintaining your HVAC system. If you have any questions about these tips or wish to schedule professional HVAC maintenance with Lozier Heating and Cooling, please contact us today.

At Lozier Heating and Cooling, we are experts in HVAC maintenance. Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area about energy and home comfort issues they may encounter with their HVAC systems.