How do I Winterize my HVAC System?

With summer winding down, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your home for the fall and winter. Since you’ll most likely be turning off your AC soon, it’s important to enact some security and cleaning procedures to ensure that your system will be ready to run efficiently when the time comes again.

Replace or Clean the AC Air Filter

Any air that goes in or out of your AC unit goes through the filter. It should be cleaned or changed about once a month to ensure that any dust, debris, or other particles on the filter aren’t being circulated around your home. Regularly changing the filters ensures that the air is clean and your heating & cooling system is ready to be used when it needs to be powered up again.

Clean the Condenser

With the condenser unit being outdoors, it’s very likely that there’s a buildup of dirt, leaves, grass, outside particles, and other debris around the unit. This debris has the potential to interfere with the HVAC system being efficient even during colder seasons. You can hose down the dirty areas and rake any grass or debris away from the area.

The condenser, as well as the coils, can be cleaned by an HVAC technician for a professional & thorough inspection, especially if you are not familiar with how to clean the individual coils.

Shutting the AC Unit Off

When you are officially done using your AC for the season, it’s best to turn the unit’s power off all together in case the thermostat settings are accidentally switched to cool. There should be a power box by the condenser where the switch should be flipped to “off.” When you go to turn the unit back on again for the following summer, make sure you flip the switch on at least 24 hours before running the AC.

Check Your Smoke Detectors

While you should have working fire and CO detectors year-round, in fall and winter, there are statistically more fires and CO poisoning situations at home. This is usually due to portable heater devices or other fuel-combustion equipment being misused. With properly working smoke detectors, you’ll feel safe and secure that you’ll be warned of any dangerous fire or CO hazards.

Seal Any Openings

If there are any cracks, drafts, or openings in your house, then not only will your energy bills go up because your system will have to work much harder to operate, but it simply won’t work as efficiently since outside air will be getting in. You’ll find that you’re having a hard time getting your home to a warm, comfortable temperature, even after turning the heat on. That’s why you should seal any drafts from windows or doors so that no misplaced cold air makes its way inside.

Schedule a Maintenance With Blue Frost Today

There are many steps you can take to get your home fall and winter ready, one of which includes contacting Blue Frost. With our maintenance, repair, and installation services, we will make sure that all your AC systems are turned off properly and that your heating systems are ready to go within the coming months. For quality HVAC service by Schaumburg that you can trust, call us today to schedule your pre-fall maintenance checks.