Maintain your HVAC equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having Alpine Heating and Cooling do annual pre-season check-ups. We get busy once summer and winter come, so it’s best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups and spring maintenance around the time the daffodils starting blooming for the La Conner Daffodil Festival and in the fall around the Festival of Family Farms.
A Typical Spring Maintenance Check-up Should Include the Following
- Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
- Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
- Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
- Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
- Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.
Cooling Specific
- Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system’s ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Check your central air conditioner’s refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system’s efficiency by up to 15 percent.
Heating Specific
- Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat ex-changer. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat ex-changer causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.
Actions To Do Yourself
- Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.
Most people would agree that the quality of the indoor air that we breathe has a direct impact on short and long-term health. That is why it is so important to take the time to consider these simple and important tips on how to improve the indoor air quality within your home. For example, something as simple as vacuuming and dusting regularly can greatly improve overall air quality. This helps to eliminate pet hair, dirt, debris and dust.
HVAC Air Vents Are Fully Open
It is best to also clean all overhead light fixtures as well as ceiling fan blades. Even cleaning behind furniture and under beds as well as other similar places throughout your home will eliminate dust and dirt and can also ultimately serve to improve air quality. As an added note, always make sure that all HVAC air vents are fully open to keep airflow movement continuing throughout your home. This is another easy way to make sure that the air quality in your home is always maintained at its best.
Proper Movement Of Air
It should also go without saying that air ducts throughout your home should be cleaned regularly. Most experts recommend having ducts cleaned at least once every five years while others recommend having it done every two years. The air ducts in your home are absolutely essential to the proper movement of air throughout the house. They move heated or cooled air to where it is most needed. However, as air moves through the duct system it can easily pick up pollen, mold, dust, dirt and even bacteria or viruses.
Professional Duct Cleaning
When these items are sent airborne throughout your home, you ultimately end up inhaling them causing health related issues. As debris builds up in ducts in your home the situation can only get worse over time. A professional duct cleaning service has the right tools and the right equipment as well as experienced and knowledgeable technicians who are able to professionally clean ducting in the most efficient way possible. Keep in mind that just because you can’t see inside the ducts in your home doesn’t mean that there is not a problem.
Cleanliness Of The Ducts
Finally, if you are unsure of the cleanliness of the ducts in your HVAC system it may be worth taking a quick look. All that is usually required is a screwdriver to unhinge an air vent. Once this is done simply use a flashlight to determine the overall cleanliness of the ducts in your HVAC system. If this is not something that you prefer to do it may be best to just have a professional take a look. A small investment in duct cleaning can pay for itself many times over by improved health and more efficient HVAC system operation. Contact Alpine Heating & Cooling today for HVAC services in Mount Vernon, WA and the Skagit Valley.