Before we know it, winter will be upon us and the last thing you want is to discover an issue with your heating system on a chilly night. Prepare ahead of time for winter by getting your HVAC system ready to provide the best comfort in your home.
Proper maintenance is key to prolonging the life of any machine, and your home’s HVAC is no exception. If you aren’t sure exactly how to prepare your HVAC system for winter, don’t worry! Our experts at American Comfort Experts have a handful of tips to winterize your HVAC system.
Schedule a Maintenance Check-Up in the Fall or Spring
Haven’t had a HVAC maintenance check-up recently? The Spring and Fall seasons are the best times for getting a check-up, as they are “the shoulder seasons”. Shoulder months are the times of year when the temperatures can vary between about 40 -70 degrees Fahrenheit. The months often fall during the spring and fall, when the temperatures can fluctuate drastically from the start to the end of the day. This is the perfect time for those checkups because your AC and heating systems are not used as frequently.
By scheduling bi-annual checkups with your ACE HVAC technician, you can ensure your system is running tip-top before you need it most.
Get Your Furnace Up and Running
They best way to make sure your furnace will be up and running when you need it most is to turn your furnace on and let it run at least three times before winter fully arrives. Set your thermostat to your home’s desired winter climate and let the house reach that temperature before turning the system off.
By testing the furnace out a few times before the cold sets in, you can make sure you won’t run into any surprises when you need your hvac system the most this winter!
Create Climate Zones
By creating climate zones, you can avoid having a hot upstairs and cold downstairs! As you probably already know, heat rises, and cold air collects on the ground level. Creating climate zone proves to be quite effective in the extreme weather months. Close a few vents on the second floor to force your heating system to direct more air downstairs. No one wants a toasty bedroom and freezing living room!
Seal Windows and Doors
Small openings by your windows and doors, that you may not even notice, can have quite the effect on your HVAC system. If you notice that you feel colder standing next to the windows in your home, chances are they have small openings that allow cold air to enter.
Making sure your windows and doors are sealed properly will help maintain the health of your HVAC system in the cold season by letting it run less often. It also should save you money and keep your home more comfortable, temperature wise.
Reverse Your Fans
Reversing your ceiling fans is probably one of the easiest tips you can follow to winterize your home! Turn your ceiling fan on and see which way it’s rotating. If it’s moving counterclockwise, it’s generating a cooling breeze, which is the opposite of what you want in winter. Switch the fan to rotate in the opposite direction, clockwise. When the blades move clockwise, they pull warm air down from the ceiling to heat the space below. This is a quick and easy way to create a cozier space as the dead of winter sets in.
