How To Prepare Your Heater For Winter
If you live in San Antonio or the surrounding Texas area, then you know that there’s as much of a potential for severe winter as there is for a blazing summer. So it’s important that you make preparations for a heating tune up during the key winter months before those months arrive. Doing so will not only keep you from being in an uncomfortable situation, but also insure that your family is safe and secure. It brings you peace of mind knowing that your heater will operate smoothly when you need it the most. JB Heating & Air Conditioning wants to share some things that can help maximize your heater’s performance.
Get a Professional Inspection
The very first thing you can do is hire a seasoned, highly trained professional to visit your home and perform a comprehensive inspection of your entire system. Although there is a laundry list of items that need to be checked, generally speaking an inspection will including checking all moving parts, controls, fluid levels, clear drains, clean duct work, and tightened connections with both the pipes and wiring. A technician will be able to easily identify any issues in your current system and give you a point by point solution for fixing them. Make sure that the company you hire is Texas licensed and certified in residential HVAC systems.
Replace The Air Filters
Before you have your air filters replaced, check with a JB heating & Air Conditioning specialist to find out which type of air filter is best for your heater. Although all filters essentially perform the same function, they do so at different levels and using different methods which largely depend on their construction. There are 3 main types of filters. Mechanical filters use synthetic fibers to trap small particles in order to keep them from recycling back through the home. Pleated air filters remove up to 40% of all pollutants in your home. They simply have more fibers to catch dust and debris than mechanical filters. Electronic air filters are the most effective of any filters and can usually up to 6 months without being replace
Clean Your Air Ducts
Although there is not a clear correlation between clean air ducts and healthier air, there is definitely a relationship between how clean the ducts are and how efficiently your AC system performs. A dirtier air conditioner will require more maintenance, need greater repairs, and often have to work much harder to produce the same results as clean equipment. This could put a strain on your unit and cause it to break down during the cringe moments when the temperatures are at their lowest. As with your main unit, it’s better to have your duct work inspected and maintained by a professional in order to achieve the results you’re looking for.
Thermostat Calibration and Programming
Sometimes when your AC is running too much, it may not be the unit itself but rather the thermostat is off. If you suspect that your thermostat might need to be adjusted, then you can have it professionally calibrated in order to work correctly with the rest of your system. If you have a programmable thermostat, then set it to run at lower temperatures while you are asleep or away. Having a programmable thermostat puts a major dent in your energy bill every month.
