How to Best Prepare Your HVAC System for the Next Winter Storm

Winter preparedness calls for you to know how to combat snowstorms to keep your family safe and cozy. Although your HVAC system is durable, you'll need to do some preparation to keep it running efficiently and avoid the need for emergency repair service in extreme weather. Follow the tips below to prepare your HVAC system and home for the next winter storm.

Check Your Insulation and Seal Leaks

Proper sealing and insulation help your HVAC system run safely and more efficiently. They also provide an excellent way to keep the temperatures in your home well regulated. You can lose plenty of indoor heat through the roof, so ensure your attic has the recommended amount of insulation. Seal and insulate your ducts to eliminate air leaks. Check for drafts around doors and windows and seal any leaks you find.

When your heating system doesn't have to compete with the outside air infiltrating your home, it won't be overworked during the next winter storm.

Schedule Heater Maintenance

One of the best ways to prepare for the next winter storm and bout of extreme cold is having preventive maintenance performed on your heating system. During a professional tuneup, an HVAC contractor will check everything, including the belts, electrical switches, motors, and thermostats, and fix any issues.

You could subscribe to a service agreement with a trusted company to ensure your HVAC system gets regular service as well as priority service in case of unexpected breakdowns.

Keep Your Vents Clear

Blocking the vents can limit airflow severely, leading to temperature drops. Make sure no objects are covering your vents and that nobody has accidentally moved the levers and caused the vents to close.

Invest in a Generator

A storm can leave your home without power. A generator will keep your HVAC system running in case power goes out for days or hours. However, you'll need to read the user manual to make sure you use the generator in the prescribed manner.

Being proactive and acting fast on this information will ensure you're adequately prepared before the next winter storm. If you need preventive maintenance in the Broken Arrow area, contact Air Assurance. We also offer an exclusive Extended Service Plan that entitles you to priority service, discounts, and VIP specials.

Are Snow Melt Systems Right for Your Home?

When snow falls in Broken Arrow, it means you have to get out your shovel to clear off your driveway and other outdoor areas. While shoveling snow is good exercise, it’s also exhausting and even dangerous for some individuals. With snow melt systems, you don’t have to worry about clearing your driveway to make it safer for your loved ones and your car.

How Snow Melt Systems Work

These systems provide a convenient way to keep driveways, patios, and other outdoor areas free of snow and ice by serving as an outdoor heating system. Some systems use electricity to accomplish this, while others use a combination of hot water and antifreeze circulating through a series of tubes and pipes. Snow melt systems sometimes have manual controls that homeowners can turn on and off when needed. Other systems have sensors installed to detect the presence of snow on the surface. When there is enough snow, these systems turn on automatically.

Benefits of a Snow Melt System

A snow melt system offers convenience for you as a homeowner. With one of these systems installed, you won’t need to spend time shoveling snow from your driveway. This is highly beneficial if you have health conditions that make it difficult or dangerous for you to shovel snow. These systems also help keep your driveway safer to drive or walk on by clearing away snow and ice. This helps lower the risk of personal injuries from falling and damage to your car if you slide.

HVAC and Energy Bills

Your snow melt system doesn’t use the same source of heat as your HVAC system, but it can be integrated with it. Keep in mind that running a snow melt system leads to increased energy usage. You can make up for this by lowering your home’s heating bills through routine HVAC maintenance for improved energy efficiency and replacing air filters regularly.If you need more information on snow melt systems, please contact Air Assurance. Keep in mind that our company can also provide your Broken Arrow home with HVAC maintenance and other services this winter.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Winterizing Your HVAC System

Your furnace gets quite a workout in Broken Arrow during the winter, so it pays to schedule annual preventative maintenance to ensure it works reliably through the worst of winter. Here's what winterizing your HVAC system, particularly your furnace, should look like:

Air Conditioner

Before you schedule preventative maintenance, you should square things away with the air conditioner. First, clean up around the outdoor condenser, removing leaves, weeds and other debris. Trim overhanging limbs and shrubs away so that nothing falls on the unit during a storm.If you're concerned about freezing rain dripping inside the unit -- moisture that freezes, melts and refreezes can cause damage -- then place a square of plywood over the top and secure it to the ground. You can cover the unit up with a commercial cover, but be aware that sometimes covers provide a cozy habitat for rodents and other creatures through the winter.

Change the Air Filter

The change of seasons is a good time to change the air filter. Starting the heating season with a clean filter will help ensure that the inner workings of the system are free of dust so that the furnace runs more efficiently.Follow manufacturer's instructions to change the filter. If you don't know where your filter is located, ask your HVAC technician to show you, and to show you how to change it.

Preventative Maintenance

When you schedule your preventative maintenance on your HVAC system you can expect the technician to perform a number of tasks. Among them are these:

• Check thermostat to ensure the system attains the right temperature set points.

• Inspect and tighten electrical connections.

• Lubricate moving parts to reduce friction, which decreases efficiency.

• Test controls. Make sure they are operating properly.

• Inspect condensate drain. This drain can get stopped up over time, resulting in flooding.

• Inspect furnace parts, including gas connections, burners and heat exchanger. A crack in a heat exchanger can cause unsafe operation, including the leaking of carbon monoxide.

For more on winterizing your HVAC system, contact Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about winterizing and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “kmicican/Pixabay”

Want Better Energy Savings? Weatherize Your Windows

Air leaks around your Broken Arrow home account for higher energy bills and a lower level of comfort, and they make your HVAC system work overtime to replace the lost air. Sealing air leaks is an easy and inexpensive way to improve your comfort level and reduce your energy bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Weatherizing windows is a good place to start winterizing your home.

Benefits of Weatherizing Windows

In addition to lower energy bills, reducing wear on your heating system, and improving your comfort level, sealing air leaks around your windows will help reduce noise coming in from outside, keep pollen and other allergens out, and provide better humidity control in your home.

What You'll Need for Weatherizing Windows

Weatherizing windows doesn't require a lot of supplies. All you'll need is:

• Silicone caulk.

• Rope caulk.

• Weatherstripping.

• Expandable foam for large gaps and cracks on the window's exterior.

• Window insulation kits containing plastic shrink film.

Exterior Window Sealing

Start with the exterior of your home.

• Use silicone caulk to create a seal along the seam where the window frame meets the exterior wall.

• Use expandable foam to seal large gaps and cracks around the window.

• Install storm windows if you have them.

Interior Window Sealing

Once you've sealed the exterior, move indoors.

• Use silicone caulk to seal the seam where the window frames meet the wall.

• Open the windows and install weatherstripping to create a solid seal when the window is closed.

• Apply rope caulk to the movable parts of the windows.

• If you don't have storm windows, install plastic shrink film for a solid barrier between the indoors and out.

Keep your drapes open during sunny days to help warm your rooms, and close them on cloudy days and at night.

Consider an Energy Audit

According to Energy Star, a home energy audit helps you pinpoint exactly where your home is increasing your energy costs. If you'd like to learn more about an energy audit, or for more advice about weatherizing windows, feel free to contact us at Air Assurance, proudly serving the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about weatherizing windows and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “israelbest/Pixabay”

Watch Out for Ice Dams

With winter taking hold in Northeast Oklahoma, beware of ice dams on your home's roof when it snows and temperatures drop below freezing for extended periods. An ice dam forming on the roof can result in water damage to roofing, walls and attic, along with household belongings.

What is an Ice Dam?

While relatively uncommon in Oklahoma, which doesn't get as much snow or extended freezing as states to the north, ice dams can happen here. They usually result when roof temperatures are not consistent. When snow falls on the higher part of the roof, it melts and begins draining down toward the eaves. Often, those lower sections are colder, since there's less attic space underneath to warm up the roof.This re-freezes the melted snow, which builds into a ridge of ice near the edge of the roof. Snow melt accumulates behind the so-called "ice dam," and eventually finds its way through the shingles and roof. This can wreak havoc on roofing, walls and attic fixtures, as well as personal items in the attic.

How to Avoid Ice Dams

The main goal is to prevent heat from transferring through the roof and causing the snow to melt. Effective air sealing, insulation and ventilation all can accomplish this goal. It's important to insulate and seal air leaks in the roof, of course, but also in the floor between the attic and the home's lower levels, along with the attic hatch or door. This will help keep heat in your living spaces, enhancing comfort, saving energy and easing the workload of your heating system. A well-ventilated attic also will help prevent heat buildup.You'll also want to make sure that air ducts aren't leaking warm air into the attic.If you take these steps to prevent ice dams, you will reap a bonus in the summer as well. A properly sealed, insulated and ventilated attic helps with household cooling, preventing the attic from over-heating and transferring that heat downward.

For more advice on how to prevent ice dams in your Broken Arrow-area home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ice dams and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “qimono/Pixabay”

Take these Precautions to Avoid Frozen Pipes

Cold weather months in the Broken Arrow area pose a serious risk of frozen pipes. With just a few extra precautions, though, you can protect your pipes and prevent damage to your home.

Why Frozen Pipes are a Problem

Any time the outdoor temperature falls below freezing, the water in your pipes is at risk for freezing, too. When water freezes, it expands. Pressure from expanding ice inside the pipes can cause frozen pipes to crack or even burst. When the damaged pipes finally thaw, they'll leak water until you turn off the water supply. If you're asleep or away from home when the pipes freeze and leak, you could end up with extensive flooding and water damage.

How to Protect Your Pipes

Keep your thermostat set no lower than 60 degrees, even when you're not home. Insulate pipes in unconditioned spaces, such as the basement, with foam pipe insulation or fiberglass batts.

To keep cold drafts off the pipes, seal air leaks in these spaces with caulk and weatherstripping as appropriate. Insulate your basement rim joists and your crawl space walls with rigid foam insulation. You'll protect your pipes, keep your floors warmer, and improve your home's energy efficiency.

Disconnect your garden hoses and put them in storage for the winter. If your outdoor faucets aren't frost proof, shut off the water supply to them and open the faucets to drain the remaining water.

When the temperatures fall below freezing, open the doors to your sink cabinets to let warm air reach the pipes. Open your taps to let a thin stream of water flow. Flowing water is less likely to freeze.

Learn the location of the shutoff valve for your home's water supply. If your pipes do freeze and crack, shutting off the water will prevent leaks until the pipe can be repaired. For pipes that have frozen solid, contact a plumber. Incorrectly thawing frozen pipes can damage them.

For more pro tips on preventing winter damage to your home, contact us at Air Assurance in the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Fulcanelli/Shutterstock”

Home Winterizing Tips for the Savvy Homeowner

Cold weather is one the way for many people since fall is pretty much upon us. However, that doesn’t mean that you just need to stop running the A/C and crank up the heat. There are some things you can do to make sure that your home stays as comfortable as possible without running up your heating bill. Use these home winterizing tips to keep your family comfortable without spending an arm and a leg on heating this fall and winter season.

• Find areas around your home where drafts and air leaks are a common problem. You can do this on pretty much any day when there’s some wind outside or the temperature outside is different from your home’s interior temperature. The most common culprits for air leaks are old doors and windows, though attics can be a source of unpleasant outside air entering your home too.

• Check your insulation in the attic to make sure it’s up to snuff. Homes in cold weather climates really need a minimum of 12 inches of quality insulation to keep cold air from entering the home and running up the heating bill. While rating numbers may not make much sense to you, here’s a good rule to go by for average homeowners: if the ceiling joists are visible in your attic you don’t have enough insulation. Installing more will help keep your house much more comfortable year round.

• Have your furnace inspected by a professional before you need to turn your heat on. Ideally, you want to have a furnace inspection toward the end of summer. Problems can arise with your furnace even when it isn’t running, and turning it on with a minor issue could result in the need for major repairs down the road. Having your furnace inspected will also make sure that it’s running as efficiently as possible, which will save you money on your heating bill.

Contact Air Assurance for more home winterizing tips you can use this fall. We proudly serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding communities and we can’t wait to service your home as well.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Cranach/Shutterstock”