Preparing Your HVAC System for Seasonal Changes in St. Charles County
If you happen to live in a place with four distinct seasons such as St. Charles County, your heating and cooling system spends a lot of time working hard. From the sweltering summer afternoons to the freezing deep of winter, it needs to perform at its best year-round. Making sure your system is set to take on seasonal changes is key to ensuring your home stays comfortable in the extreme heat or bitter cold and that your energy bills remain manageable.
Prepping your HVAC system ahead of time saves you lots of potential troubles in the future. Regular maintenance and inspections can ensure that your HVAC system runs well, no matter the weather. And if you are proactive and don’t wait for things to go wrong, that can also keep you from having to make major repairs or endure inconvenient breakdowns in the future.
The alternative is letting your HVAC upkeep slack until the point that you end up needing. To avoid this, here are a few things that homeowners can do (at little cost) to keep your unit ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store for them, regardless of the season.
Schedule a Professional Inspection
It’s a good idea to have a professional check your HVAC system before each major seasonal shift. They’ll catch any signs of wear and tear that might cause problems when the system is under heavy use. They’ll also catch things like refrigerant leaks, dirty coils, or aging components that could impact efficiency. A trained technician can help you address small issues now, so they don’t turn into big problems later.
Change Your Air Filters Regularly
One of the simplest and yet most essential jobs you can perform yourself is changing your HVAC filters. Filters filled with dust and dirt restrict airflow and make the system work much harder to push conditioned air through the ducts. They must be changed regularly during the summer and winter, and if you use your system during spring and fall, you’ll need to change them then as well.
Dirty filters in your system aggravate allergies and other respiratory problems. Clean filters help extend the life of the system. Even a chore as simple and seemingly small as this can contribute to the need for a new HVAC St Charles if ignored.
Clean and Clear Outdoor Units
Your condenser units for outdoor assembly have a direct exposure year-round to the changing weather. As the seasons change, leaves, dirt, and other debris can gather in and around the condenser unit, clogging the fins and restricting airflow. Before fall descends, take some time to clear the area around the unit.
Gently hose the unit down, and go over it with a hand brush if necessary to remove any stuck-on dirt or debris. Then, take a look at your HVAC system and make any changes necessary to ensure it can ‘breathe’ properly.
Adjust Your Thermostat Settings
When temperatures fluctuate from calm to extreme, altering your thermostat settings can create a more comfortable living space. To nudge your HVAC system toward efficiency, set the thermostat nearer to the temperatures of the season: cooler in the winter, warmer in summer.
If your home has a smart thermostat (a good investment for both comfort and efficiency), you can manage your system more easily, programming it to operate in a range more conducive to energy savings.
Insulate and Seal Your Home
Your home’s insulation and sealing have a huge influence on how well your HVAC system works. So, before the worst heat or cold hits, look for drafts around your windows and doors. And if you find any, seal them up. To take it a step further, consider adding insulation where plausible.
Keep Your Home Comfortable Year-Round with HVAC St Charles Preparation
There is absolutely no reason that you can’t have a comfortable home all throughout the year. To ensure your HVAC system is running well, all you have to do is pay it some attention. That means changing filters and checking the drain line every couple of months. It means looking and listening for anything that seems off. And every so often, it means calling in a pro for a checkup.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends doing that in the spring and fall, as those are the milder seasons and tend to be good times to give your system any needed adjustments or repairs.
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