Over the next few months, the Orange County, CA weather is going to heat up. For your household to remain comfortable throughout the spring and summer, you’ll need your HVAC unit to be strong, healthy, and efficient. If your cooling system is running smoothly, you won’t be at risk for breakdowns, malfunctions, or egregiously expensive monthly energy bills. So, how do you make sure your HVAC unit is ready for the changing of seasons? Fortunately, there are a handful of effective measures you can take to prepare it for the increasing demands of springtime.
1. Schedule Preventative HVAC Maintenance
At White Mechanical, Inc., you can hire our skilled technicians to conduct a tune-up of your HVAC unit. During the maintenance visit, your system will be thoroughly cleaned and inspected for any issues. With all the dust, dirt, pollen, and debris cleaned out of the appliance, it will be able to circulate cool, clean air more consistently and efficiently. As a result, you’ll have more affordable electricity bills throughout the spring and summer, and your home should remain nice and comfortable.
The professional inspection will also identify any ongoing or potential mechanical failures within your HVAC system. If our technician encounters any red flags, they may be able to perform a quick fix to get ahead of the problem. Each issue is different but taking a preventative measure early on could end up saving you quite a bit of money and hassle in the long run. In addition, you’ll be far less likely to be stuck with a broken-down unit in the middle of the sweltering California heat.
2. Replace Your HVAC Filters
To keep your home’s climate under control, your HVAC unit needs to be able to constantly pull air through its filters and circulate it around the house. The more effort that’s required to do so, the worse it is for its health, performance, and efficiency. If you allow your HVAC air filters to linger for too long without being replaced, it can quickly turn into a major struggle for your HVAC unit to do its job. Since you’ve most likely been running your heating system regularly over the last few months, there’s a good chance your home’s air filters are in serious need of attention. Additionally, with all the pollen floating around in the spring, you really need those filters to be clean and able to catch the airborne irritants. Otherwise, you could end up dealing with very unpleasant allergy symptoms.
You should replace each of your home’s HVAC filters now, but you shouldn’t stop thinking about them afterward. At least until the end of summer, you should closely monitor them and switch them out regularly.
3. Get Your Ductwork Cleaned
There may be lots of airborne contaminants gradually building up inside of your household air ducts. Your HVAC unit relies heavily on those ducts to transport conditioned air around the home, and their cleanliness has a major impact on its performance. Dirty ductwork not only leads to worsened indoor air quality, but it can also cause those air pathways to be obstructed. Consequently, your AC unit will need to increase its air pressure to sufficiently cool down your house this spring and summer. That will increase the likelihood of an equipment failure and will directly affect your monthly electricity costs.
When you bring in a duct cleaning professional, they’ll clear all the dust, dirt, pollen, dander, mold, and small debris out of your air ducts. Plus, they can check for any leaks or damage, allowing you to invest in repairs before your household is impacted too heavily.
4. Purchase a Smart Thermostat
One of your goals over the next few months should be to give your HVAC unit as much rest as possible. The last thing you want to do is overwork the system, and that’s a real risk when the Orange County weather is scorching. If you accidentally leave your AC cranked up when you leave for work or go to bed, that will put unnecessary mileage on the appliance. If overworking becomes a regular occurrence, it can really add up to put excessive strain on the equipment.
However, installing a programmable thermostat will eliminate the issue entirely. You can program your smart thermostat to automatically shut down your HVAC unit when you don’t need it running. For example, you can program in the hours that you’re away at work each day, and it will never waste effort during that timeframe. Plus, you can program in your ideal household temperature; when the thermostat senses that this level has been reached, it will stop the system’s cycling on its own.
5. Clean Your Home
Even if your house is immaculate, your HVAC unit will still need to work plenty hard to do its job efficiently over the next handful of months. If your house is packed with lots of contaminants, that will only make things harder on the system and its air filters. So, you’d be wise to give your entire household regular, thorough cleanings this spring. The goal should be to get rid of as much dust and dirt as you can.
Take a moist rag, and wipe down all your home’s flat surfaces. That includes tables, counters, chairs, non-carpeted flooring, and desks. As for your rugs, mats, and pillows, your best bet would be to take them outside and to shake them out or bat them together. That should knock most of the contaminants loose. One of these deep cleanings each month should make things far easier on your HVAC unit this spring and summer.
6. Locate and Seal Household Air Leaks
As your cooling system circulates conditioned air this spring to keep you comfortable, the last thing it needs is for half of that air to seep out of the house. Unfortunately, if multiple air leaks are present, it may end up having to compensate for quite a bit of lost air. That will result in extra stress on its components and more electricity used. You’ll want to search for these leaks around the edges of your windows and doorways. Don’t ignore the small openings; a few tiny leaks can be just as hard on your HVAC system as one large leak. If you do find any gaps, you can tightly close them up with caulking and weather stripping.
Since opening our business in 2002, our team at White Mechanical, Inc. have been a trustworthy provider of heating and cooling services for the Orange County area. We know that while the California winters may be mild, the summers are intensely hot, and our priority is making sure that your home stays comfortable. Throughout our company’s history, we’ve developed a reputation for excellent customer service, integrity, and quality. With every job we do, our workmanship is meticulous. We never cut corners, and our skilled technicians always do things right the first time.
When you need to get your HVAC ready for spring, our technicians do the job. We also offer AC and heating installation services. If you’d like to learn more about our services or to make an appointment, call us at White Mechanical, Inc. today.