Being a homeowner can give you some of the richest feelings of freedom but it can also provide you a ton of responsibilities. Apart of paying your mortgage, you also own the responsibility to ensure that all systems in your house are functioning properly. One of the most important pieces of your home you need to make sure is running efficiently is the HVAC system. This is because the system ensures that your house has optimal temperatures and quality air exchange between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
Failure to maintain your HVAC correctly before the hot months of a Phoenix summer can leave you in a tight spot. As a new or existing homeowner, understanding some basic HVAC troubleshooting methods can be a life and money saver.
5 Troubleshooting Tips You Should Know
1. Replace Your Air Filters
An inefficient functioning HVAC unit often times can be directly related to clogged, old, or dirty air filters. This means the first troubleshooting tip to consider about your HVAC system is how to check and replace air filters. When the filters are clogged up or blocked with debris, they can force the system to work harder to deliver the desired results, like a cooler home. This makes a huge impact on the amount of energy it takes to run the system and causes added wear and tear. All of these factors can reduce your HVAC's longevity immensely. Filters should be changed after 90 days, but can be replaced every month if the filters are worn out and not working correctly.
2. Clearing Debris from the Outdoor Unit
Often times your HVAC unit can be found outside in the vicinity of grass, trees, and other physical items, it can accumulate leaves, branches, or other solid particles over the course time. These substances may obstruct the free flow of air into your indoor space affecting the air quality and cooling capabilities of the unit. One key tip as a homeowner, you can open the air conditioner condenser unit and clear all the debris to keep the HVAC functioning optimally. We also recommend removing any excess vegetation and prune the trees near the outdoor unit.
3. Cleaning Indoor Vents, Ducts, and Registers
As the AC unit is circulating air throughout your home, small particles, like dirt, dust, and other particles, can stick or block the vents, ducts, and registers. When this happens it can negatively affect your AC’s efficiency, lower indoor air quality, and create an uncomfortable living environment. Understanding when your vents, registers, and ducts need cleaning can be a huge boost in your AC working properly. We recommend having your vent and ducts cleaned by a professional technician.
4. Checking the Thermostat
HVAC problems can originate from a faulty thermostat, understanding if the thermostat is working optimally can be vital in a healthy HVAC system. If your system is turning on at the wrong time or not starting at all, you need to identify the issue. First, check if the thermostat has power. If it doesn’t switch on, change the batteries to see if they are the problem. If you reset the temperatures and there is no change, you might need to consult a professional.
5. Check the Circuit Breakers and Power Supply
If your AC unit doesn’t start at all, you should inspect the electrical supply cords to see if they are in place. There could be a chance of a power overload which can cause the circuit breakers to cut the power supply, this may even happen accidentally if a person turns the switches and breakers off. Also, make sure that your location isn’t experiencing a power outage before you call your technician.
Having some basic troubleshooting tips can help you as a homeowner find existing problems with your HVAC system, but you can't always fix everything yourself. Having an experienced HVAC technician, with years of experience and the proper tools can provide you the peace of mind to make it through another Phoenix summer.
For all your HVAC cleaning, maintenance, and installing needs contact Forrest Anderson Plumbing and Air Conditioning today! We have a team of highly skilled and licensed technicians who can help fix any issues for your heating, cooling, and air conditioning systems.
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