While your furnace was pulling overtime in the winter months, your air conditioner was hibernating until temperatures outside rose.
As spring begins its full bloom, manmade technologies- despite how far they’ve come- do not have the luxury of naturally transitioning again and gain, so simple (but careful) consideration must be paid toward seasonal maintenance.
Before throwing all your trust to the experts at Harbin Heating and Air, here are some quick tips you can do yourself to set a great foundation for your unit in the springtime!
1. Assess your A/C unit with a warm-up.
As they say, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!”
While we’re going to get to things that you should always do, you can’t just assume that your air conditioner is going to stumble backwards upon start up after some time off in the winter.
When temperatures outside are the warmest in the day, turn your thermostat onto cool, and run it for one complete cycle. As it runs, be observant about any abnormalities that stand out compared to the last time you ran it.
Check for any strange sounds, foul odors, and the length of the cycle to determine what needs to be addressed, either by yourself or professionals. This way, you have a readymade plan for what you need for the months ahead rather than going in blind.
2. Schedule Maintenance & Cleaning
Once you have a good idea on what you’re dealing with, call the technicians at Harbin to schedule a cleaning and road map to routine upkeep.
Using notes you took from your warm-up, let the pros know what you encountered so they can efficiently deal with the nuts and bolts under the surface to remedy the issues with your unit.
A proper rule of thumb of regularly scheduled maintenance is, at minimum, twice a year: One just before spring, and the other just before winter.
3. Test your thermostat function
Perhaps an extension from our first point, if at any time during your initial warm-up you encounter that the temperature displayed on your thermostat is not the actual temperature of your indoor air, you must seek to correct this.
Have this examined during your initial spring-cleaning from Harbin and consider (if you haven’t already) investing in a programmable thermostat that you can adjust from your phone, givng you peace of mind when away from home.
4. Change your filters/clean your ducts
While these may seem like combing two separate thoughts into one, they are instructionally linked.
While the pros will do the heavy, deep-cleaning needed to prime your unit, you can take initial steps in easing their work and set up an efficient stretch of time for your air conditioners. As is routinely preached, experts recommend changing the most basic of air filters once every month. For those that have a higher-than-average MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating, then certainly change them once before every seasonal change.
Additionally, while great air filters can capture and retain pollutants like dust, dirt, pollen, and other toxins, you can drastically reduce the rate of spreading by attacking the passageways to it.
Sometimes the ducts are addressed by technicians in their initial unit cleaning, but specially asking for it makes it clear you are thinking big picture about the totality of your unit.
5. Consider extra cleaning insulation
Finally, after all is taken care of, you must think about the possibility of leaks and cracks.
Cleaning will address the finer workings of your air conditioner, but if there is structural damage in place (again, something we at Harbin can happily assist patching up should that be the case) then extra precautions should be made to contain the air that keeps your home cool.
This is extra important after the winter has ended due to the season’s harsh winds pushing potential debris through your vents and letting air escape.
Adding extra insulation means that your home retains air properly and won’t expel any more air than is necessary, lowering your energy bill in the process.
Make an appointment with Harbin to get your HVAC system serviced this spring. We can also assist you with duct cleaning, programmable thermostat installation, and other services to ensure that your house is safe and cool this spring!
