Most American homes have HVAC, or heating and cooling utilities, to maintain the house’s climate control. Not quite all American houses have heating units and air conditioners the way they all have plumbing and wall outlets, but most homes do, and sometimes, furnace repair or air conditioning installations are necessary. Furnace repair or air conditioner repair is too technical for most homeowners to handle, but a concerned homeowner may soon diagnose these problems and call for local furnace repair or AC repair experts in their area. How might a homeowner tell if their HVAC unit or their furnace is in trouble, and what might cause these issues?
Problems with HVAC
A number of problems may strike. For one, a furnace or HVAC system may suffer from sheer dirtiness, which is in fact a bigger problem than some homeowners may realize. If the blower fans are caked with grime such as pollen or dust, for example, they cannot blow air as effectively as they should. Their output is weakened, and that forces them to work overtime to make up for the difference. Not only that, but intruding squirrels or rats might build nests right there in the air ducts, partially blocking air flow. Not to mention how the vents themselves might be clogged with grime, reducing their output, and how the outdoor AC unit may be choked with pollen or dust. All this grime reduces air flow and climate control, forcing the system to work overtime to make up for the weakened output. And given how much electricity the HVAC system uses (55% of the home’s total power), it’s easy to see how a clogged and overworked system will drive up the electric bill.
Mechanical issues may also occur. Furnace repair might be necessary if some of the furnace’s components break down, and it cannot create as much warm air as it should. The blower fans might wear out and fail, and the air ducts may break apart or develop holes or rips that leak a lot of warm or cool air. This, too, forces the system to work overtime. What is more, a very old system, such as 20 years old or more, wasn’t even built with modern energy efficiency standards in mind anyway and won’t ever work as efficiently as today’s models.
Finally, the house itself may be the issue. Thin insulation in the walls or attic may allow too much warm or cool air to leak out, and drafty windows and doors also disrupt the climate control. Bare windows also admit a lot of hot sunlight that may warm up the house too much, or allow warm air to escape in winter, drafts or not. Fortunately, such issues can be fixed when contractors are hired to help.
Getting HVAC Repair Done
Replacing windows or foam insulation is a job for different contractors. If the HVAC system itself is in trouble, a homeowner may look up local furnace repair teams or heater and AC repair companies in their area. A concerned homeowner might also visit their local hardware store and get references. Either way, a homeowner may find local crews and visit their website, where photos, videos, and articles may showcase their work and display their contact information. A homeowner may choose among a few contractor teams and select one to hire.
Once on the premises, these repair experts can clean or replace nearly anything. They can reach many parts of the HVAC system that the homeowner can’t, such as accessing the blower fans to either clean them off or repairing them to restore their full air output. These crews may also access the air ducts, either to replace or repair them, and remove any animal nests or large debris that they find inside. These workers may also clean out the outdoor AC unit, and remove clogging hairs or dirt from wall-mounted air ducts and ductless space heaters.
If necessary, these repair crews might suggest that the homeowner replace their old HVAC system with a new one. Very old ones are energy inefficient at best, and they are more liable to break down and may be dirty from many years of use. A newer, more efficient system is clean, powerful, and saves money in the long run.
