Your Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling family wants to assist with all of your HVAC needs. Being a homeowner comes with a multitude of responsibilities. Life is busy enough as is. Add HVAC maintenance on top of that, and your head may just start spinning. Don’t worry, though; we are here to assist you and alleviate that load. Perhaps you are a first-time homeowner, or maybe you’ve owned your home for a long time. Whatever category you fall into, the following is a list of 5 basics we believe every homeowner should know when caring for their residential HVAC system.
1. Do You Know How to Tell When Something Is Off with Your HVAC System?
HVAC disasters are usually just that – a disaster. Which typically happens out of nowhere and takes you by surprise. However, we believe that there are usually signs that lead up to said disaster. And if you are familiar with your HVAC system, you can learn how to identify them and take action accordingly. For example, if your heating or cooling unit starts to act up, maybe there is an unusual sound coming from your ducts or furnace, or perhaps your AC unit emits an unpleasant odor; these are all signals you don’t want to ignore. Maybe your system has been showing a considerable delay when changing your thermostat setting. It is important to notice these things, and if anything seems out of the ordinary, call a service professional right away! Letting these minor issues continue will only turn into more significant problems.
2. Do You Close Your Vents to Save Energy?
If you have heard that closing the vents in your unused rooms will save energy, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Unfortunately, keeping certain vents closed does quite the opposite. HVAC systems are made to distribute air throughout the home evenly. So if one or two vents are closed off, this creates a type of blockage and confuses the unit. Closing off vents can also strain your system and cause it to overwork.
3. Do You Frequently Change Your Air Filters?
Industry professionals recommend that homeowners change their air filters every 30-60 days. This may seem excessive, but an air filter’s job is to trap and hold the air pollutants that infiltrate your home. If left unchanged, and air filter will become overloaded and clogged, causing further issues for your HVAC system. In addition, not changing the air filters as suggested will also affect the indoor air quality within your home. Negative indoor air quality is known to reap numerous adverse side effects related to health.
4. Do You Have a Smart Thermostat?
Smart thermostats are a great option to consider. They are energy-efficient, affordable, and easy to operate from the convenience of your phone. In addition, because you can program your thermostat settings to coincide with the times you are away from your home, this helps to reduce energy consumption, which reflects in savings on your energy bill. It sounds like a no-brainer to us!
5. Do You Get Your Units Serviced as Recommended?
You can enforce all the tips & tricks we mentioned above, but if you aren’t getting your units serviced for their seasonal tune-up and safety checks, you aren’t practicing all the necessary preventative maintenance measures. Just like you take your car in to get a tune-up and make sure everything is running fine, you should opt to do the same for your AC unit and furnace. When you schedule a tune-up & safety check with us, our NATE-certified technicians ensure everything works per current safety regulations and that there are no underlying issues. So, if you haven’t yet scheduled your spring tune-up & safety check, you still have time. Call us as soon as you can, and we will get you booked for our next available appointment!
Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling is proud to say we are open 24/7, 365 days a year. We are available ‘round the clock to best serve you and your family! If you have any concerns with your HVAC system or perhaps would like to upgrade your thermostat, or need to schedule your spring tune-up & safety check, don’t hesitate to reach out. Call (513) 540-1716, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!
