Look to your neighbors and family to get recommendations of good HVAC specialists. Likely there's someone you know who's already done a ton of research. Use this knowledge to help get you the best specialist you can. This can save you many hours of research time and money too.
Before an HVAC expert comes to your home to do any repair work, walk around the home and check out the temps in every room. Determine which rooms feel cold and which feel hot. You can then relay this information to the technician so that they can more easily figure out what the problem is.
If the fan condenser on your unit has ports for oil, make sure you lubricate it once a year. You can easily find the ports as they have a rubber or metal cap. Use SAE 20 oil that is lightweight and detergent free, and put ten drops or fewer into each one. Make sure not to overfill them.
When you have an outdoor unit, be sure to keep all plants, flowers, shrubs and trees at least two feet from it. Anything that grows inside it, either above the ground or even roots beneath the soil, can block it up and cause it to break. Give it some breathing room.
Keep your outdoor units free of debris when your cutting grass. Direct the clippings away from the equipment. This also applies to leaf blowing and any other yard work that results in debris.
Manage the heat flow into your home with window coverings to help out your HVAC system. In the warmer months, use drapes, curtains and blinds to block out sunward facing windows to keep heat from building up through the greenhouse effect. Alternatively, make sure that sunlit windows are letting light and warmth in during the colder months.
When you are looking for a service provider to perform service on your HVAC system, look for a company that stands behind their work. This is especially important if your compressor or condenser is being repaired. Repairs to these two things are extremely expensive, so you want to ensure that the service provider warranties their work.
Make sure that the HVAC contractor you plan to hire does not use subcontractors to do their work. Many people use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibility in the event that something goes wrong when your system is being worked on. Only allow this if there is a note in the contract about what will happen if there is an issue.
Try to stay away from HVAC contractors that ask for upfront payments before they are willing to get started on the work they were hired to do. In many cases, this means that they are more concerned about getting paid than they are about making sure the job is done well.
Never accept the first offer you get when you are looking to hire an HVAC contractor. There are many people out there that charge more than others for doing the same services. Getting price quotes from several companies can help ensure that you are getting a rate that is acceptable.
If you hear a clicking in the HVAC unit at home, see if there are any obstructions right away. Sometimes, debris will be the cause of the disturbance. Removing the debris will quickly fix the issue. Check it out before spending on a contractor.
Improve the efficiency of your air conditioning by installing ceiling fans. Change the airflow direction of the ceiling fans. During more info the summer, the blades should move in a counter-clockwise direction. During the winter, the blades should move clockwise to help move the hot air in the ceiling down into the room.
If you plan on having a service on your HVAC unit, ask the technician what he will be doing. Any thorough service should consist of several things. The technician should check temperature levels, pressures, amperage draw, and coolant levels. They should adjust any belts that need it and clean the coils.
Be careful of sounds in your HVAC. If the condenser fan begins to make a grating or clicking sound, the blades could be hitting an obstruction. If blades get bent, don't try straightening them. You could unbalance them and cause them to hit the condenser coil. This could loosen the motor in the fan. Try replacing the bent blades with new ones. Make sure the new blades can freely rotate without wobbling.
Comfort comes with a working HVAC system. Many homeowners choose to neglect these units until it is too late and they begin malfunctioning, which can lead to expensive repairs or even an entire replacement! Avoid this by using the tips listed here.
