Most seasonal maintenance can be either done by you or you can hire a professional to give you a hand. Here are some items on many HVAC companies top things to do to prep for summer ( and winter).
Change Your Air Filter as Part of Your Seasonal Maintenance
Set a monthly reminder on your phone to change it. You should naturally be in the habit of changing your filter monthly, it is especially important when the use of your unit will increase. If your filter is dirty, it can block the air that is needed to flow through your system and cause it to freeze up. Maintaining your HVAC system’s air filter can reduce the system’s energy consumption by as much as 15 percent. If your unit has a permanent electrostatic filter, regularly cleaning it should be sufficient. Make sure to inspect the filter every 30 days.
Check Your HVAC Drain Pipe
Check the flow of moisture through the drain pipe. The drain pipe allows your HVAC unit to remove excess moisture as a protective measure. It can get clogged by debris, which can stop the unit’s dehumidifying process. You can use a shop vac’s suction to clear out a clogged drainpipe or line. You can also put a leak alarm in the drip pan to alert you to a clog or if the drain pan fills with water. This could indicate a problem with the drainage and can help prevent overflow into your home causing damage.
Clean Your Air Ducts
This is something that often gets overlooked by home owners because the correlation between dirty ducts and an inefficient HVAC system is not seen. Having dust, debris, microbial growth and even objects lodged into your ducts can cause a variety of health issues for your family but also your HVAC system. Clogged ducts can not only make your filter accumulate more dust and lead to inefficiency but it can also cause the air flow in your vents to slow. This can cause the unit to over work and the components may break down faster. Imagine blowing air through a straw that has a pipe cleaner in it, you’ll find yourself struggling to get air through.
Do Some Outdoor Seasonal Maintenance Clean up
Clean up around your outside unit. Its important that your outside unit has adequate room to pull in air unobstructed. You can do this as part of your seasonal maintenance as well as monthly maintenance. This can easily be done by clearing out any grass, bushes, debris or junk from around the
outside of the unit. You want to give the unit a 1 foot buffer around its outer shell. You can also remove the shell and blow out any dust, leaves or sticks that may have found their way into the unit cover.