Don’t forget to replace your heating and cooling system’s air filters every 30 to 90 days. (American Standard HVAC)
When the season transitions to the colder months, it’s important to maintain your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Just as you want your HVAC system to keep you cool during the summer, you’ll need to make sure your unit is ready to heat your home during the winter, too.
A combination of the following do-it-yourself and professional maintenance tasks will ensure the system is ready for any season. Read on to learn more.
Water dripping from an A/C drain line creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Remove Unwanted Moisture
Condensation can lead to unwanted moisture on your HVAC system’s ducts, coils, drain lines, and pans in the summer, especially if you live in a humid area.
If this moisture isn’t removed, it can lead to the growth of mold and mildew, not to mention damage to your home’s A/C unit. If left uncleaned, it can even lead to sickness from airborne bacteria.
To combat this:
Clean pans and drain lines from your A/C unit. Water collects in these areas, attracting mold and mildew as well as insects and animals.
Inspect ducts. If your ducts are inadequately insulated, you may see condensation forming outside the ductwork during the summer when humidity is high and the air conditioner is running. Poor insulation cannot only increase your utility bill but also causes excess moisture that can lead to mold. Insulating ductwork is a little more complex, so you should definitely hire an HVAC technician for the job.
Call an HVAC professional to check the outdoor unit’s refrigerant levels. (JJ Gouin, Getty Images)
Monitor Refrigerant Levels
Your A/C unit has probably been working overtime during the summer, so it might be low on refrigerant.
This chemical changes from liquid to gas and back to liquid inside your A/C to cool your home. If you’re low on refrigerant, your unit will only circulate warm air.
Having the right amount of refrigerant makes air from your vents colder, reduces energy bills and makes your AC work better.
Call an HVAC professional, like an American Standard Customer Care specialist, to check it at the end of the season so you won’t be in for a rude awakening when summer rolls around next year.
Use metallic foil tape that’s specifically made for ductwork repairs to seal leaks. (Adobe Stock)
Seal Any Leaks
As the heat of summer wears off, go into the attic and check your ductwork for leaks.
Feel along the ducts for air leaks while your air conditioner is running. Also, look for discolored insulation or rusty ducts that could indicate a leak.
Pay particular attention to the joints in pipes and where runs of ducts meet in case a pipe has become disconnected.
Repair any leaks using duct mastic or metallic duct tape rather than standard cloth tape. You can also have an HVAC professional run a pressurized test of the system to check for leaks.
You should change your heating and cooling system’s filter about every 30 to 90 days. (mcphillips007, Getty Images Signature)
Change Air Filter
Your HVAC system’s air filter needs to be changed about every 30 to 90 days, so the start of fall is the perfect time to do it.
Regularly changing the air filter is critical for its longevity, but it also helps your system work more efficiently. The purpose of the air filter is to trap unwanted allergens, dust and particles and prevent them from getting into the air you breathe in your home, so when the filter is dirty, your air will also become dirty.
Changing the filter on your air cleaner may also help save on energy costs.
Here’s how to do it:
Buy a new filter. Check your owner’s manual before buying a filter — using the right filter is essential; otherwise, you run the risk of potentially damaging your system.
Turn off the unit. Be sure the unit is completely off before attempting to change the filter. If you’re unsure of how to turn it off, turn the breaker off in your electric breaker box.
Remove the old filter. Most filters are located on the right side of the system and are easy to slide out. However, some filters may be found internally in your home’s vents. Call an HVAC professional if you think may have these internal vents as they need to be replaced by a professional.
Insert new filter. Once you’ve removed the old filter, simply slide the new filter into place. Use the arrows on the filter as an indicator for which side should face in or out.
Make sure your furnace’s pilot light works before winter arrives. (Adobe Stock)
Prepare Your HVAC Unit for the Cold Season
Now that your A/C unit is ready for next summer, take these steps to ensure you stay warm during cooler months:
Clean the area around your outdoor unit and place a vinyl cover over it.
Conduct a sound and visual inspection. Turn on your furnace and/or heating system, and check for anything unusual. This may include sounds like rattling or bumping, as well as anything that looks out of place.
Program/calibrate your thermostat. This will ensure that your heating system runs accurately and correctly.
Inspect your blower assembly. Fans and motors can gunk up after not being touched or used for a while. You may have to clean these parts off or even replace them if necessary.
Check insulation. Insulation in your home’s walls or attic may need some attention, which will help keep your home warm in the winter and reduce energy costs. Also, you may want to check duct insulation as well.
Check your pilot light. This is a continuously burning flame in gas-powered heating systems that is used as an ignition source for heat. If your pilot light has been extinguished, your heating system will not work properly.
An HVAC professional can ensure your system is in good working order during any season. (American Standard)
When in Doubt, Call an HVAC Tech
A trained professional should inspect your home’s heating and cooling systems at least once a year. HVAC technicians have a much deeper understanding of these systems’ inner workings than the typical DIY homeowner.
Homeowners can do minor A/C unit maintenance, but only HVAC technicians can run tests and check for poisonous gases, such as carbon monoxide, inside a home.
“Today’s Homeowner” co-host Chelsea Lipford Wolf — with her new American Standard HVAC unit — says taking just a few simple steps during the summer can help lower energy bills.
Energy bills often spike in the summer and winter when it’s really hot or really cold outside — and your heating and cooling system has to work overtime to keep you comfortable.
But you can lower those bills by choosing the right HVAC system and regularly maintaining it. Here’s advice from “Today’s Homeowner” co-host Chelsea Lipford Wolf.
How do you keep your home energy-efficient in the hot summer months?
We keep our A/C running! Contrary to popular belief, you want to keep your home semi-cooled during the day while you’re away.
When the unit works during the day, it doesn’t need to make up for lost time when you get home at 5 o’clock and try to cool your house by 10 or 15 degrees.
Aside from that, we close our drapes while the sun is out and we’re away from the house. That way, it doesn’t heat up the inside of our house as much.
Workers deliver Chelsea’s new American Standard Platinum Series Heat Pump to her home.
You just had a new HVAC unit installed at your house. Tell us about it!
That’s right! We just installed aPlatinum Series Heat Pump from American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning. We selected it because it has highly efficient AccuComfort variable speed technology.
Variable speed…?
Our variable speed American Standard unit selects from one of 750 speeds to maintain our home’s temperature set point within ½ a degree.
That means when you’re cooling your house just a few degrees at a time, your HVAC unit will run at a lower speed, using less energy to maintain the same temperature and comfort level.
If your house needs to cool a lot or get rid of a lot of humidity all at once, then it can speed up.
And that thermostat travels with us! I can control it with my phone or tablet, whether I’m at home or on the go — so my family is comfortable at all times.
Variable-speed heating and cooling systems are optimized to use just the energy necessary to meet your comfort settings.
Got it. But keeping the A/C on constantly — doesn’t that use more energy?
That’s why AccuComfort’s variable-speed technology is my favorite feature of our new unit. It’s more energy efficient. Sure, it’s always on, but to a lesser degree — and you don’t even know the A/C is on sometimes because it’s at such a low stage!
Ah, that makes sense. Speaking of ‘cents,’ homeowners want to get the most life out of their HVAC unit — stretch their dollar farther. How can they do that?
It boils down to one thing: regular maintenance! There are some things that you can do yourself, and there are other things that really need a professional touch.
Let’s start with the things you can do yourself: clean out your A/C condensation line with bleach twice a year andchange out your air filters(or clean reusable filters) every three months. That way, your HVAC isn’t working hard to push air through a dirty filter.
We have a recurring event on our family calendar to remind us to wash out our filter every three months. Just set a reminder on your phone or on a family chores calendar so you actually do it!
Regular HVAC tune-ups are worth the cost. Certified HVAC technicians can run tests and make adjustments to ensure the unit runs at optimal efficiency.
Finally, get regular tune-ups from a certified HVAC dealer. This may cost $100 or so, but it’s worth it! The technician can test the thermostat and settings, lubricate the system’s parts, check and straighten the unit’s fins, and adjust the blower motor.
Most homeowners can’t do these things or don’t want to do them, and they’re very important to ensure the unit runs efficiently.
Great tips! Finally, every HVAC unit eventually needs replacement, and that’s a pretty big investment ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. How do you find the best HVAC unit?
Definitely request a Manual J load calculation. That’s just a fancy name for how the pros determine how much heating and cooling a home needs to keep the people inside it nice and comfortable.
That amount may change over the years, even if you stay in the same home. If you’ve updated some windows, closed them off, or added insulation, it will affect how much heating and cooling your home needs.
Working with trained technicians such as American Standard Customer Care Dealers can help ensure you get the right HVAC system.
Manual J load — got it. Anything else we should know?
Definitely consider which unit you can afford based on its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, which measures air conditioner efficiency. The SEER is determined by dividing the amount of cooling output, measured in BTUs, by the total electric energy input, measured in watt-hours.
You should get the unit with the highest SEER that you can afford because that’s going to save you energy costs during the life of that unit.
Awesome! Thanks for these tips, Chelsea.
Anytime! I hope everyone stays cool out there!
Today’s Homeowner and American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning present Keep Your Cool Week! Check out our curated collection of how-to videos, Simple Solutions and insider tricks to keep your home cool and your energy bill in check all summer long!
Today’s Homeowner and American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning present Keep Your Cool Week! Check out our curated collection of how-to videos, Simple Solutions and insider tricks to keep your home cool and your energy bill in check all summer long!