Summer is starting to wind down and lots of Oregonians are looking forward to the cooler days of the autumn season. Whether it’s getting into the back-to-school routine, doing some organization around the house and in your garage, or getting your yard buttoned up for the change of weather, it’s important not to neglect one of your most relied upon items: your HVAC system. Here are some important things to maintenance to-dos to include on your end-of-summer checklist.
Check Supply & Return Vents:
All vents inside your home should be open. Be sure furniture, rugs, curtains, or other materials aren’t blocking vent airflow or covering the vents. Obstructed vents cause rooms to be unevenly cooled or heated and also make your HVAC system work harder than necessary.
Clean:
Vacuuming and regular dusting at home not only helps make the home feel cleaner, but it also translates to better indoor air quality. Spend some time cleaning and dusting around your space, then make sure to clean or replace your HVAC system’s air filters, too. Dirty air filters can contribute to dirty air and they can also cause inefficiency in your machine. Our experts recommend cleaning and/or replacing HVAC filters every one to two months to ensure optimal performance.
Check the Exterior Unit:
Inspect the outdoor HVAC unit and ensure there aren’t any grass trimmings, leaves, weeds, dirt, flower clippings, or any other debris that have accumulated around the outside of the unit. This could restrict airflow and cause issues with the internal components of the machine. If there is continued build up, the efficiency of the machine can be greatly reduced which translates to excess energy usage.
Test the Thermostat:
Right now you’re relying on your air conditioning system, but soon it’ll be heating season. Before the end of summer, switch over your thermostat from cooling to heating mode to make sure it responds accordingly. If your thermostat is out of date, this is a great time to consider replacing it with a new, programmable thermostat. These allow you to program and set your temperature to whatever you want, from wherever you want. Simply program it to turn up or down how you’d like at your designated time and it’s done for you. You don’t even have to be home to adjust it! This is a great way to conserve energy and see a reduction in your utility bills.
Schedule a Professional Maintenance Appointment:
The best thing you can do for your heating and cooling system this year is to take care of it with a professional tune-up. Our licensed technicians can inspect both your cooling and heating systems so they are ready to go no matter what the Oregon weather decides to do outside. Your technician will clean the internal components, inspect the electrical pieces, test system controls and measure airflow, and make sure it is operating safely and efficiently. If there are any issues or potential problem spots to be aware of, our team will discuss those with you and make a plan to get it repaired and running at its peak.
We understand that you’re likely soaking up the last days of summer, so now’s the time to schedule your maintenance appointment, thermostat installation, or repair! So, contact us today and we can help get you scheduled.