With winter right around the corner, it’s important that your HVAC system is ready for the challenge. This is particularly true with extreme weather events happening more and more often. 2021 alone saw $145 billion in damage from those events.
Of course, if you’re a new homeowner, the ins and outs of winterizing your home HVAC system will likely prove entirely new and baffling ground. If you’re not feeling confident about how you should prep your HVAC unit for the coming cold weather, keep reading.
We’ll offer some key HVAC winter tips that will help you prepare.
New Filters
The one-size-fits-all advice that homeowners get is that they should change filters in the HVAC system about once every 90 days. Of course, there are some exceptions to that particular bit of advice.
Anyone with respiratory problems will likely want to switch out their filters about twice as often to help keep the air in their home clean. If you own pets, pet hair can clog up an air filter much faster. Consider changing out your filters every two months.
Clogged filters aren’t just gross, they put an extra strain on your system. The last thing you want during extreme weather is an HVAC system working at sub-optimal levels.
Clean the Unit and Air Vents
Just like the air filters get dirty, your actual furnace unit can get dirty as well. You can take a damp cloth to clean the outside surfaces.
You may also want a vacuum cleaner to clean out any air intake spots on the unit. Give the air vents around your home the same treatment. Accumulated dust and pet hair might not seem like a big deal, but they can interfere with good airflow.
Fire It Up
You should fire up the furnace at least once before the weather turns truly cold. If the furnace brings up the temperature in the house quickly and efficiently, then everything is probably in good working order. If it doesn’t work quickly and efficiently or you hear new noises from it, move on to the next section.
Get Professional HVAC Maintenance
There are a lot of components in an HVAC system. It often takes professional HVAC services to identify the specific problem or problems when a system isn’t working properly.
HVAC pros can check everything from your ductwork to the blower, gas lines, and even the exhaust flue. Even if your system is in good working order, periodic maintenance checks from a pro are a good preventative measure.
Winterizing Your Home HVAC System
Winterizing your home HVAC system is one of those annual tasks that might feel redundant, but it’s smart homeownership. Finding out your HVAC system has a problem before an extreme weather event rolls through is far better than discovering problems during those events.
Beyond that, keeping your HVAC system in good working order makes it operate more efficiently. That helps keep your heating costs down.
Design Air, Inc. offers HVAC maintenance, installation, and repair services in Riverside County. To book an appointment, contact Design Air, Inc. today.
