How to Properly Winterize Your HVAC

With the arrival of colder weather in the Broken Arrow area, it's time to get your home's HVAC system ready for the coming winter. You can ensure your family's comfort, and protect the system's various components from damage by taking these steps to winterize your HVAC now:

Promote Good Airflow and Air Quality

There are some simple tasks that you can tackle to prevent airflow restrictions and boost air quality when the heating system is running. Replace the HVAC air filter first, then clean the vents throughout your house by removing and wiping down the covers and vacuuming inside each duct opening. Make sure your registers are fully open too, and that nothing is blocking the return air grilles.

Protect the Outdoor Component

If you have a central split-system air conditioner, you'll want to shut down the outdoor unit so it won't get harmed if the thermostat accidentally gets switched over to cooling mode during the winter. This is easy to do by via the breaker in your main electrical panel, and the switch that's located outside near the unit. To shield the unit from falling ice, place a board or piece of plywood on top, and weigh it down with a brick or concrete block.

Clean Up Around the Outdoor Unit

Yard debris like piles of dead leaves around the outdoor unit make it more attractive to rodents and other nesting pests. To discourage them from setting up housekeeping, trim back and clear away dead vegetation, then open the cabinet and vacuum/sweep out any accumulated debris from inside.

Schedule Professional Maintenance

Having a certified technician service your HVAC system can give you peace of mind that it's operating safely and efficiently. A pro will inspect and clean the furnace and verify that critical components like the blower, venting, heat exchanger and electrical are in good repair. If you have a heat pump, they'll check the refrigerant level and clean the coils, and make sure that the defrost and back up heat are functioning properly.For more advice about how to winterize your HVAC, contact us at Air Assurance today.

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.

Protect Your Outdoor Unit from Falling Leaves

It’s easy to forget about the air conditioner when it’s not running daily to keep you comfortable. During the offseason, consider outdoor HVAC unit protection to keep it in good shape so it’s ready to go next spring. Heat pump users, especially, need to stay on top of the outdoor condenser to get the most efficient and effective heating from their units.

Why It Matters

The outdoor condenser contains the compressor and the condensing coil, both vital parts of any air conditioner or heat pump. The compressor changes the pressure of the refrigerant to make it cold enough to remove the excess heat from your home’s air. The refrigerant moves from the indoor air handler into the condensing coil, where a large fan blows away the heat it collected indoors.

When leaves or any other kind of vegetation block the air amount of air going through the condenser, it takes longer for the refrigerant to cool. It drives up energy bills and increases the time it takes to cool your home. Longer running times create excessive wear on the compressor, your system’s most expensive part.

Condenser Upkeep

Rake leaves away. Keep an eye on the amount of leaves building around the condenser and rake them away as they collect. Bag them, along with other landscaping debris, to keep them from blowing back.

Trim overhanging tree branches. Remove any branches that hang over the condenser or nearby by as part of outdoor HVAC unit protection. Throw a tarp over the condenser as you work to prevent sawdust and leaves from falling inside it.

Cover it. If you don’t plan to use the A/C or heat pump all winter, cover it for the season. You can find covers at home improvement centers or hardware stores. Be sure you check it periodically to make sure rodents aren’t living inside.

It’s important to provide outdoor HVAC unit protection from leaves even in the off-season to keep this appliance clean and unobstructed. To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

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.