Having reliable heating and air is so important, especially if you have a family. If you have kids, you don’t want to lose your air conditioning in the middle of summer and likewise your heating in the middle of winter. It’s important to keep children at a regulated temperature so that they don’t become over heated, too cold or get sick because of the drastic changes in temperature. So, how do you get reliable heating and air? Well, there are a few things that you can do.
Regular Maintenance
It’s recommended to get a professional heating and air conditioning service to come in and check on your HVAC system at least twice a year. The times that you will use your heating and air conditioning systems the most are probably in the summer and the winter. This means that the best times to have someone come and check on it are in the in between seasons; spring and fall. They can make sure that no major damage was done during the season before and then everything is in mint condition for the upcoming season. Plus, if they need to turn it off for any reason, then it won’t be a big deal to be without reliable heating and air for a couple of hours.
Fix the Small Stuff
If your air conditioning is leaking or your heating seems funky, don’t just brush it off and procrastinate on fixing it. Get it done as soon as possible. These seemingly small problems can become huge issues later on that are incredibly expensive to fix. If you repair them when they are small then they will not have to cost your life savings and you will probably be able to maintain your system and keep in functioning properly. The thing is that even small problems can make the unit over compensate or overwork itself and this will worsen the original issue and cause further things to go wrong. Just fix things as you notice them and everything will be fine.
Keep it Clean
If your unit is kept indoors then keep it clear of anything else. For some reason, people like to make the HVAC closet into a broom closet. Maybe it’s the shape and size but many people think it’s the perfect place to keep your brooms and mops. However, brooms collect dust and mops never seem to be completely dry which can damage your HVAC system. Just leave it alone in there and dust it off as needed. If your unit is outside then you need to make sure that it is kept free of debris and leaves, twigs, dirt, grass clippings and other things that like to hang out on the unit.
Don’t Mess With it
Other than the regular maintenance and cleaning, you really should just try and leave the unit alone. That’s the best way that you can ensure reliable heating and air conditioning. You should not only leave the unit itself alone but you should leave the thermostat alone. Frequently adjusting the temperature every day can make the system work harder than it needs to and then it won’t last for very long. If it seems like the afternoons hit a hot spell for a few hours where the air needs to be colder and then the evenings don’t need air at all, try adjusting the settings so that it is on a timer and will adjust itself. Sudden adjustments are what can cause problem. Automatic adjustments work with the system to properly align itself. Likewise in the winter, if you have the heating higher usually but one day you find that it’s too hot in the house, open a few windows for a little while. Chances are, when the sun goes down it will get cold again and you are going to want the heating back on anyway.
The temperature of the house can really make or break the atmosphere. People tend to get very cranky when it is too hot or too cold inside. Make sure that you take care of your system and let it do its thing in order to keep everyone that lives in your home happy.
