Cleaning Helps Prevent Repair Issues
There are reasons why doing some spring cleaning around your HVAC system will pay off in the end. It’s a system that has operating parts inside the house and operating parts outside the house. Each requires cleaning, lubrication, tightening up, replacement of belts and hoses, and a once over with an eye toward improving performance.
Winter may be here now, but spring is on the way. It is a good idea to understand that some parts of your HVAC system have remained dormant for a few months. Because of this, inspecting it and giving it a test run will go a long way toward preventing any surprises when the heat starts to come.
HVAC Testing
It’s not a complicated matter really. Just set the thermostat to a desired temperature for the spring and see if the system turns on and begins to cool your house down. You will want to check your air filter and make sure there is an adequate supply of air moving through the ducts also.
After start up, listen for strange sounds. Listen for whirring, bangs, whistles, clangs, and hums. Determine if you can smell anything strange. Small animals may have made their way into the duct system during the winter.
Gauge how long it takes for the system to cool your house down to your desired temperature. If it seems to take too long, consult with your local HVAC provider.
What Should I Clean?
It just makes sense to clean the condenser outside. The fact that it is outside makes it exposed to dirt, leaves, animals, blowing branches, dust, and debris of all kinds. Winds will blow neighboring items over to your unit and things like that can lodge themselves in the housing of the unit.
Contaminants will accumulate on the fan blades, coils and other working parts of the system. You will want to pay particular attention to the coils and keep them free from any accumulation of grime or dirt. The coils are a vital part of cooling the air in the HVAC system. Clogged coils can bring the whole system down.
Another area that may require cleaning is the drain pan and drain lines. If the lines are clogged with organic matter, then the water will remain in the pan creating molds. After you clean the coils and possibly the fins of the unit, give the pans and lines a good once over to prevent clogging and buildup of contaminants.
Make sure you have a current, clean, and correct air filter installed to increase your breathing comfort and decrease your future expenditure on system malfunctions.
Tip: Check whether or not the outside unit is still sitting level on the ground. Soil moves around and sometimes collapses over time. You will want to keep the unit level so all systems have the same gravitational pull exerted on all features.
Check and clean any electrical terminals, connections, and components.
Work With an HVAC Provider
Once you know the air conditioner part of your HVAC system is working properly or even if it is not, go ahead and schedule a maintenance checkup from a provider of HVAC services. You will want a professional to make sure the system is ready for the heavy workload of spring and summer.
Let them know about anything you discovered when you turned the unit on. It will be important for them to know if it took a long time to cool down, or if you smelled something odd.
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