Tag Archives: HVAC repair professional

HVAC Maintenance Tips

appliance-repair-5

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. For your HVAC system to last for a long time, you need to take good care of it. To help you out here are HVAC maintenance tips that you should put into consideration:

Switch filters

Filters trap dirt and other debris. Over time, the filters get dirty and you have to replace them for your system to continue working properly. For ideal results, you should replace the filters every 6 months.

It’s highly recommended that you inspect the filters every now and then. If you are doing your regular HVAC inspection and you notice that one of the filters is dirty, you should replace it immediately—you shouldn’t wait for 6 months. Studies have shown that replacing the air filter with a new one aids in lowering the energy consumption by up to 15%.

In addition to changing the air filter, you should also clear the area around the outdoor unit. For ideal results you should ensure that the vegetation is 5 feet away from your HVAC system.

Schedule professional check ups

Although, you can undertake minor HVAC inspections, it’s recommended that you hire a professional HVAC technician to undertake thorough checkups. You should do this at least once a year. When you hire a technician, he/she will disassemble the unit and identify any problems that it might be having.  The technician will also clear the drain and clean both the indoor and outdoor units.

While there are many HVAC repair technicians, you shouldn’t hire anyone—you should do your research and only work with a certified professional.

Eliminate mold

Mold tends to grow on moist evaporator coils. You should get rid of the mold by cleaning and disinfecting the evaporator coil. To disinfect it you should use half-bleach, half water solution. To avoid damaging your system, you should ensure that you have switched it off for safety reasons.

Help the HVAC do its work

In addition to cleaning the filter, you can help your HVAC system do its work by getting a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat helps you in saving energy as you don’t have to worry every time you want to change the temperature—all you need to do is to pre program the thermostat and it will change itself.

Another way of ensuring that HVAC system works to its optimum is sealing the heating/cooling ducts and any open spaces. This calls for you to ensure that the doors, windows and nooks are shut and properly sealed.

Gas Furnace Vs. Electric Furnace

appliance-repair-8

Many new homeowners don’t know whether to install gas or electric furnaces. If you are one of the confused home owners, here is how the two compare:

Cost

Gas furnaces are more expensive than their electric counterparts. While the initial investment in gas furnaces is higher, they are usually cheap to operate as the cost of natural gas has gone down over the years. This is contrary to the cost of electricity which seems to be increasing every day.

Installation

After making the purchase, you need to install the furnace. Electric furnaces are small in size thus easy to install. In fact you can install it on your own. This isn’t the case with a gas furnace which is usually large in size and requires technical skills and specialized tools to properly install it. Due to this, it’s difficult to undertake gas furnace installation on your own—you have to hire the services of a gas furnace expert to help you out.

Maintenance

For your furnace to continue working effectively you need to maintain it. Electric furnaces don’t have many issues thus they are easy to maintain. In fact, you can troubleshoot the problems on your own. If you don’t have time you should ask a HVAC professional to come and take a look at it.

A gas furnace on the other hand requires a lot of regular maintenance as it emits low levels of carbon monoxide which can be lethal if not properly monitored. To ensure that your home is safe, you should seek the services of a HVAC expert to regularly maintain your gas furnace.

Lifespan

Research studies have shown that electric units last up to twice the life of a gas furnace (which is usually 10-20 years). This means that if you are after a furnace that will last for a long time, you should go for an electric unit.

Effectiveness

Gas furnaces have been shown to be more effective than electric furnaces in very cold temperatures. The reason for this is because gas heats up to higher temperatures than electricity. In addition to being more effective, it’s also more energy efficient than an electric unit.

Conclusion

This is how a gas furnace compares to an electric furnace. Regardless of the furnace that you choose to go with, you should ensure that you buy it from a reputable store. You should also ensure that the furnace is regularly maintained by a certified HVAC contractor.