3
Expert Advice For HVAC Success If you amana air filters have ever found yourself sweating on a hot, summer day because your air conditioner konked out, or spent a night shivering due to a furnace failure, you know how important HVAC contractors can be. But, you may not know how to hire the best professionals to serve your needs. Continue reading for a wealth of useful advice. Before you contact people to assist you in getting your system fixed, know what kind of system you're working with in the first place. Take a look at the system or the owner's manual to find the name and model number. If you have to have someone come out to repair the unit, you will be able to help the contractor understand more about what is going on. To make sure your condenser fan works properly, keep the fan blades and the coils clean. Except when you do superficial cleaning, you need to always make sure the power is off on the unit. Additionally, remove leaves and any other debris from the outside condenser unit. If you are uncertain about which HVAC contractor to call when you experience an equipment failure, take the time to ask friends and family for personal recommendations. By doing this, you will be able to feel more confident about the choice you make, because you will have gotten the opinions of people you already know to be trustworthy. Be sure to check your evaporator coil drains frequently when your air conditioner is running. If this tube backs up, you can find water damage to your walls, ceilings and floors. If you end up with mold just use a solution of bleach and water to clean out the tube. If your evaporator coil, found inside your home, becomes dirty, your unit will lose efficiency. Just pop off the front panel of the furnace and check to see that the coil is dry. Using a brush attachment on a vacuum, gently clean the coil of any dust or other debris. Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when your trees lose leaves. Make sure the unit's fan grill is cleaned frequently when the leaves begin to fall. Because the fan requires a clear path for air to enter, you may encounter issues with your system if the fan gets blocked up. Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out if your HVAC system needs to be fixed or needs to be replaced. If your system frequently breaks down, is always turning on or off on its own, or if your bills are too high, it may pay to have it replaced. Otherwise, little things can just be fixed. When you buy a new air conditioning unit, don't let the salesperson talk you into too large of a unit. This will be a waste of money and won't efficiently cool your home. The longer a system runs, the more efficient it will be when it's running, so look for one which runs 15 to 30 minutes.

Expert Advice For HVAC Success

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Expert Advice For HVAC Success

Expert Advice For HVAC Success

If you amana air filters have ever found yourself sweating on a hot, summer day because your airconditioner konked out, or spent a night shivering due to a furnace failure, you know how importantHVAC contractors can be. But, you may not know how to hire the best professionals to serve yourneeds. Continue reading for a wealth of useful advice.

Before you contact people to assist you in getting your system fixed, know what kind of systemyou're working with in the first place. Take a look at the system or the owner's manual to find thename and model number. If you have to have someone come out to repair the unit, you will be ableto help the contractor understand more about what is going on.

To make sure your condenser fan works properly, keep the fan blades and the coils clean. Exceptwhen you do superficial cleaning, you need to always make sure the power is off on the unit.Additionally, remove leaves and any other debris from the outside condenser unit.

If you are uncertain about which HVAC contractor to call when you experience an equipment failure,take the time to ask friends and family for personal recommendations. By doing this, you will be ableto feel more confident about the choice you make, because you will have gotten the opinions ofpeople you already know to be trustworthy.

Be sure to check your evaporator coil drainsfrequently when your air conditioner is running. Ifthis tube backs up, you can find water damage toyour walls, ceilings and floors. If you end up withmold just use a solution of bleach and water toclean out the tube.

If your evaporator coil, found inside your home,becomes dirty, your unit will lose efficiency. Justpop off the front panel of the furnace and check tosee that the coil is dry. Using a brush attachmenton a vacuum, gently clean the coil of any dust orother debris.

Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when yourtrees lose leaves. Make sure the unit's fan grill is

cleaned frequently when the leaves begin to fall. Because the fan requires a clear path for air toenter, you may encounter issues with your system if the fan gets blocked up.

Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out if your HVAC system needs to be fixed or needs to bereplaced. If your system frequently breaks down, is always turning on or off on its own, or if yourbills are too high, it may pay to have it replaced. Otherwise, little things can just be fixed.

When you buy a new air conditioning unit, don't let the salesperson talk you into too large of a unit.This will be a waste of money and won't efficiently cool your home. The longer a system runs, themore efficient it will be when it's running, so look for one which runs 15 to 30 minutes.

Page 2: Expert Advice For HVAC Success

If you currently have a manual thermostat, consider installing a programmable one. You can set yoursystem for different temperatures depending on time of day and if anyone is home. Also, you can setupper and lower temperature settings to allow for a comfortable range of temperatures so thatheating and cooling don't kick in when not needed.

Never hire anyone to work on your HVAC system unless they are licensed and bonded. This industryis one where mistakes happen often and you want to make sure that you are protected. You do notwant to be stuck paying for medical bills that are more expensive than the work you were havingdone.

Do your homework on a number of HVAC companies before selecting the one that has the bestreputation and service record. Checking with the BBB is a good idea, and so is checking onlinereviews to see the experiences that other customers have had with a company. This is what you haveto do in order to make a smart decision.

Before hiring an HVAC company, you need to find out how long they have been in business. Fly-b--night companies are those you want to avoid. It is riskier to hire someone who does not have a longhistory.

When buying an air conditioner, you want to find out with a SEER rating of 13 or higher. 13 is theminimum standard set by the government, so higher ratings, while not mandatory, are going to offeryou better efficiency. SEER ratings can go as high as 19, so keep this in mind as you shop.

Ask a contractor about their experience prior to hiring them. You need to know that they have donethe sort of work you require. Although there's no guarantee that a worker with less experience won'tdo the work correctly, it's better to avoid any problems.

When choosing the proper air conditioner size, measure the area that needs cooling. You can easilycalculate this by using the formula: 20 BTUs per square footage of space. If you are cooling morethan one room, sum their areas.

Page 3: Expert Advice For HVAC Success

Look for deals on equipment. The equipment you need to update, maintain or repair your HVACsystem tends to be expensive. Keep your eyes open for available coupons, store discounts andrebates on this equipment. Stock up on things you always need, like filters, when they are on sale.

Every month clean out the leaves and debris that may have settled into your outdoor HVAC unit.You'll be surprised at how much gets caught in your unit. Over time these leaves can build up andcreate issues for your system. Just this little clean up can save you a lot of money in maintenancebills.

Want to save the most you can with your HVAC unit? Consider increasing your room temperature bya single degree or two. Each degree means money that stays in your pocket. In fact some estimatethat each degreehttp://www.jegs.com/c/Air-Filters-Cold-Air-Kits_Air-Cleaners-Replacement-Filters/10269/10002/-1you move up can work out to be around 9% in overall energy savings.

As the beginning of this article discussed, you need to have a great HVAC system in order to feelcomfortable in your own home. The best way to get this kind of system is when you are educated onthe topic. The above article gave you the important information you needed.