Spring is in the air. The days of being cold and cooped up in your home are behind you. But the hot days of summer lie ahead, and it’s important to get your system ready for that workload. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the steps you should take to ensure both comfort and efficiency.
Spring Cleaning
Preparing your home is as important as paying attention to the HVAC system. Dust is your number one challenge when it comes to efficient HVAC and good indoor air quality. Eliminate clutter. Discard or donate whatever you don’t need. Dust all rooms from top to bottom with a microfiber duster. Vacuum afterward with a unit that has a HEPA filter to ensure that you trap most of the dust.
Schedule a Spring HVAC Tune-Up
Seasonal HVAC maintenance is important not only for air quality but also for month-to-month and long-term costs. Even if you have a heat pump, have it serviced in spring and again in the fall. During this appointment, our technician will carry out a multipoint inspection, clean the equipment and correct minor wear and tear. If there are more serious problems, the tech may recommend a proactive repair. Finally, they will start the system, calibrate your thermostat and test static air pressure.
Clear Your Condensate Drain Line
Air conditioners create moisture as they run. That moisture falls into a drip pan, and there is a wet switch to ensure that the pan does not overflow. Water accumulates in the pan and exits your home through a drain line. That line can accumulate debris over the summer months. During your tune-up, our technician will test all this equipment to ensure that drainage occurs as expected.
Schedule Duct Cleaning if Necessary
The industry recommends duct cleaning every two to five years. You can schedule this service at the same time you schedule the tune-up. How often you should clean them depends on a range of factors. If you can’t remember the last time you made an appointment, schedule one for this spring. Make an appointment again two years from now. After that, your duct cleaner will be able to give you a more precise estimate.
Swap in a New HVAC Filter
Most HVAC companies include HVAC filter changes in the tune-up service. A fresh filter helps to improve air quality, protects the HVAC equipment and ensures optimal static air pressure. Throughout spring and moving forward, check your filters monthly and replace them as needed. If you’re an allergy sufferer, you may want to opt for a cheaper filter that you can discard monthly regardless of its condition.
Turn Off Your Furnace Humidifier
If you have a whole-house humidifier, it’s important to disable it during the summer. Make sure our HVAC technician is aware that you have a humidifier. The most important step is to turn off the water supply since this will ensure there’s no additional moisture added to the air.
Clean Your Dehumidifiers
If you have a whole-house dehumidifier, have your technician service it during the tune-up. This service will include disinfecting the unit and replacing any filter media as required. Failure to do this may result in diminished air quality due to bacterial growth. If you use portable units, clean them thoroughly using a mixture of white vinegar and hot water. Then, replace any filters as needed.
Prepare Your Outdoor Unit
During your tune-up, our technician will service the outdoor unit as well. This includes blowing out leaves and other debris from inside the unit and cleaning the components. Our technicians will also check the fins and adjust them as needed. The industry recommends that the homeowner maintains 2 feet of clearance around the unit. This includes grass, clutter and overhanging branches.
Spring HVAC Tune-Ups in Billings
If you’d like to schedule spring HVAC maintenance, Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC is here for you. We are a local company that has served Billings and the surrounding areas for over 40 years. Our technicians install, service and repair all ducted and ductless heating and cooling systems. We have indoor air quality experts who install whole-house air purifiers, dehumidifiers and humidifiers. Our team also installs thermostats, fireplaces and water detectors. Call Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC today to learn more about these products and services or to schedule an appointment.
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