Extend the Life of Your Wilmington Home’s HVAC System With These Tips

Your HVAC system is one of your home’s most expensive components, and it’s certainly the one you rely on the most for comfort, especially during the winter. It’s not difficult to extend the life of your HVAC system, and the few steps you take can pay off in lower energy bills, increased comfort and a longer system life.

Check the Filter Monthly

When your system is running frequently during the heating or cooling season, make it a point to check the filter once a month. Keeping the filter clean will do more for the energy efficiency and durability of your system than any other maintenance task. When the filter gets dirty, the system’s airflow slows down, increasing its running time.

During heating mode, the furnace can actually turn off because of this reduced airflow, leaving your home cold. When the air conditioning is running, slow airflow can freeze the evaporator coil over, which can cause the compressor outdoors to burn out.

Keep the Vents Open

One of the more prevalent myths about HVAC systems is that you can save energy dollars by closing off vents in rooms you don’t use often. This practice can actually harm your system instead because it increases the pressure inside your ductwork.

Have it Professionally Maintained

Annual maintenance goes a long way towards helping you extend the life of an HVAC system. The HVAC technician will clean, inspect and adjust all its parts, bringing them back to factory specifications as much as possible. Besides lengthening your system life, a maintenance check can also lower energy consumption. After all, the cost of an annual tune-up is small compared to premature part replacements and the inconvenience of system breakdowns.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

Photo Credit: zoutedrop via Compfight cc