How Should I Prepare For the Winter?
The best defense to protecting your home from the elements is by having your HVAC system tuned up before winter sets in. Keeping your system running efficiently will not only extend the life of your unit, it will help to reduce your energy bills each month. As the cold weather approaches, consider these seven recommended pre-winter heating and cooling tune up services.
1. Inspecting the Thermostat
Even if you have a programmable thermostat in the house, now is the time to have a heating and cooling professional give it a thorough inspection. If the unit is not operating correctly, you could be wasting money each month making the house too hot or too cool. Let the professionals check the settings to make sure it is operating correctly.
2. Electrical Inspection
Throughout the HVAC system there are several electrical connections that are vital for in the unit running safely. An electrical contractor can check the voltage and look for broken, loose, or damaged wires. If any of these are evident, it could easily result in a failure of those components.
3. Proper Lubrication
In order for the system to function efficiently all year long, all of those moving parts within the unit must be properly lubricated. The perfect time to do this is before the extreme cold of winter sets in. The HVAC technician can perform this inspection and provide lubrication to all those moving parts.
4. Checking the Condensate Drain
One of the tune-up services that your heating and cooling contractor should perform is a thorough inspection of the condensate drain. If this drain were to become blocked, mold, increased bacteria growth, water damage, and high humidity levels will result. A proper cleaning will eliminate all those from occurring in your home.
5. Start-up & Shutdown Controls
Your HVAC technician should do a tune-up on the start-up and shut down controls. If these are not performing optimally, your system is going to be running longer than necessary. This will cause parts to wear more quickly and should be tested at least once a year.
6. Checking the Air Filters
The air filters in your HVAC system is responsible for keeping contaminants like mold, bacteria, dirt, and dust from getting inside the home where your family breathes in that air. A dirty filter allows more particles to pass, as well as causing the system to have to run harder to circulate air.
7. Checking the Air Temperature
Although the system may be running, the output temperatures might not be where they should be compared to the energy used to produce that temperature. A check of the temperatures will help the technician identify if certain parts of the system need repair or replacement.
It is time to prepare your HVAC system for the winter! Call Anytime Plumbing, Inc today at (702) 362-9300 for our professional services in the Las Vegas area.
