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Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Tips on Selecting and Maintaining Your HVAC

~ This is a featured post. ~

HVAC may not be the most interesting and sexy subject for interior designers alike. Home owners often put comfort and health, before style and layout of a home. Behind the wall and underneath your house in the utility room, HVAC is the unsung hero to keep your house machine running. 

The HVAC system is intended for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. Choosing a good unit and keeping your HVAC in clean shape can help reduce issues, making it more efficient and decreasing the possibility of lapses in its performance. Hence, it is quite important to obtain an HVAC from trusted vendors as well as follow maintenance guidelines. Here are some important reasons why you need to have your HVAC system selected carefully and occasionally checked on.

Finding an HVAC Contractor
HVAC contractors can found through advertisements and connections in the building and construction market. Nearly every HVAC contractor is an expert in a couple of related fields, so it is best to select the individual who has a background best suited to your situation. You can also search for HVAC contractors in the phone book. Whichever way you decide to get connected with a contractor, make sure to look at their past experience. Once you have found a great contractor, it will be much easier to work with them in learning about, installing, and maintaining the heating and cooling needs of your household, but if you are wanting more tips and recommendations on how to choose and care for an HVAC unit, visit allthingshvac.com.

Working with a Contractor
Your HVAC contractor ought to have all the information you would need for a good system, including parts prices, guarantee data, labor expenses, and possible savings. The contractor should also go over all information with you in person and provide good documentation for you to read over as well. Before you employ an HVAC contractor, it is best to have an idea of the job what needs your home would have, especially if it is a new construction. If a home is old, an HVAC contractor should be able to tell what type of units work best for certain home styles, as well as any upgrades to ducts that could improve the heating, cooling, and ventilation you receive.

Keeping up with Maintenance
Standard maintenance is the secret to keeping your AC operating for the length of your HVAC system’s life.  Although your contractor can help with major maintenance issues your system experiences, it is also best for you to do some small checks and changes yourself.  Here are a few that can be once a year:
  • Changing Filters - it is always good to buy a new pleated and efficient filter, especially those with an electrostatic charge that will act as a magnet to grab tiny dirt and allergen particles. This is not only good for keeping the air clean, but also of removing bacteria.
  • Keep the HVAC free of debris - removing leaves, twigs, pollen piles, and other types of debris from the air-conditioning unit’s outdoor portion is vital to ensuring that the interior mechanisms do not suffer unnecessary environmental wear and tear.
  • Inspect Lines - Taking a look at the insulation is important to making sure leaks and lack of connectivity do not occur.
  • Prevent clogs - Pouring a cup of bleach mixed with water into the air-conditioning condensate drain to prevent clog build-up from mold or algae is another recommendation.
  • Keep Majority of Registers Open - It is prudent to not close any more than 20% of a home’s registers (the grates placed as covers over air ducts).  The reason being that any more than this would put too much strain on the HVAC system in its effort to ventilate the home’s interior. 

Got any more great tips? Let us know!