Get the Most from Your System with These Simple Maintenance Techniques
Making sure that your HVAC system is routinely and thoroughly inspected by a reliable and qualified technician is an excellent first step to maintaining the heating and cooling system in your home so that it can function in optimal operating condition. Additionally, you can take the following steps in between regular inspections to help prevent some HVAC problems.
Heating System on the Fritz? Troubleshooting Help Is Here
If your furnace suddenly stops producing heat, don’t panic. Troubleshooting heating problems could get the warm air flowing again. If you can’t identify or solve the problem, just pick up the phone and call your HVAC pro for expert help.
Here are the three most common areas for troubleshooting furnace issues:
Begin at the Thermostat
If the display screen is blank, replace the battery. If that’s not the problem, make sure it’s in heat mode and dial up the temperature setting a few degrees so the thermostat signals the furnace to cycle on. If it doesn’t start up, go to the main electrical panel and check for a blown fuse or tripped breaker. If everything looks fine, make sure the furnace blower compartment door is fully closed. When it’s closed properly, the door pushes in a small button that allows the furnace to operate.
Take a Look at the Air Filter
The air filter is typically situated inside the blower compartment. Alternately, it may be located behind one of the return air grilles. A clogged filter creates airflow restrictions that can cause overheating. When this occurs, it can trigger a safety feature that shuts down the furnace to prevent a fire. Running the system with a dirty air filter can cause other serious problems as well, such as reduced heat output, higher energy consumption and even equipment damage. Check the air filter monthly and replace it when necessary with the type that’s recommended in your owner’s manual.
Check the Electronic Ignitor or Pilot
Relighting a blown pilot light according to the manufacturer’s instructions may be all it takes to get an older gas furnace running again. On a newer unit, you can try resetting the electronic ignitor that’s situated inside the burner compartment. Remove the compartment cover and set the ignitor button to “off.” After five minutes or so, turn it back on. If the furnace starts up but only runs for a few minutes, have an HVAC contractor check whether the ignitor is faulty.
Contact us today at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating if you need help troubleshooting heating issues in your Clearwater area home.
Image Provided by Shutterstock.com
Dirty Air Filter: 3 Problems It Can Cause
Although the air filter may seem like a minor part of your home’s HVAC system, its job is essential to keeping your family healthy, keeping your home clean and comfortable and prolonging the life of your HVAC system. Changing a clogged or dirty air filter may be inconvenient and messy, but by doing so in a timely manner, you can help prevent the following problems:
Reduced System Airflow
A dirty air filter will reduce the airflow through the forced-air cooling or heating system, which not only decreases your comfort level, but forces the HVAC system to run longer and work harder to move the air. This can prematurely wear out sensitive system components including compressor motors, blower motors, fan motors, pulley bearings and belts. Air conditioners may begin to freeze up if the reduced airflow slows the heat absorption in the evaporator coil, or furnaces may stop heating when the reduced airflow in the heat exchanger causes that component to overheat, shutting off the burners. Additionally, because the system is running much less efficiently, your utility bills will increase, sometimes dramatically.
Higher Indoor Air Pollution
With a dirty air filter, airborne particles such as dust, pollen, pet dander and other harmful pollutants will remain in the air, continually circulating throughout the house. This can cause breathing difficulties for anyone living in the home, but the situation is much worse for those who suffer from allergies, asthma, emphysema or other respiratory illnesses. Checking the air filter monthly, and cleaning or replacing it when necessary, can help keep your indoor air quality high and your family safe.
Accumulation of Excess Dust
Without being removed by the air filter, dust will begin to accumulate in more places around your home, increasing your cleaning workload. In addition, the dust will begin to gather in the air ducts, costing you extra money to have them cleaned.
To learn more about the effects of a dirty air filter on your health and your HVAC system, consult our experts at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We have been serving Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas since 1958.
Image Provided by Shutterstock.com
Spring Is Prime Time for Air Conditioner Maintenance
Summer is fast approaching. Residents in some parts of the country would laugh at that statement, but here in Clearwater, FL, area, we know to prepare for its arrival in just a few weeks. That makes now the perfect time for Tampa area homeowners to schedule routine preventive air conditioner maintenance. This way, you can be sure that your air conditioner is ready to handle the heat and humidity we’ll get this year. Once the summer heat, rain and thunderstorms get started, your HVAC contractor will be very busy. Don’t chance a long wait for service.
Duct Cleaning: What You Can Expect From Your Contractor
Air ducts are susceptible to harboring contaminants, such as mold and mildew, dirt, pollen, pet dander and other debris, that are not captured by the air filter. If it has been more than a few years since the duct system in your Tampa area home has been inspected, it may be time for a good duct cleaning to protect your family, as well as your home’s HVAC equipment, furniture and other physical items.
Boost Heat Pump Performance With These 5 Tips
A heat pump is an energy-efficient choice for heating and cooling your home in the Tampa-St. Pete area. Our mild winter days and nights usually have temperatures well above freezing, which is the ideal situation for efficient heating with a heat pump. Heat pumps are also very efficient air conditioners. There are several steps that you can take to make your system run more efficiently, both during the winter heating season and the summer cooling season:
- Replace your filter regularly. Check the heat pump’s air filter several times every season to make sure it’s not clogged with dust. A dirty filter restricts airflow in the system, requiring more energy to keep your home comfortable and decreasing the life of your equipment.
- Get a programmable thermostat. You’ll save energy by automatically setting a programmable thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter during regular times when nobody is home or at night when everybody is asleep.
- Let the thermostat do its job. In cool weather, set the thermostat and leave it alone. Avoid the temptation to temporarily bump it up to get a short blast of heat. Raising the temperature setting too quickly will make your backup heat source come on, wasting energy on electric resistance heating when you don’t really need it. Save your energy dollars for those times when temperatures get cold enough outside for your system to need that extra boost.
- Don’t block airflow. Check with your HVAC contractor before you close vents in unused rooms. Be sure all of your supply and return vents are free of obstructions. Keep grass and shrubbery trimmed away from the heat pump’s outdoor unit and make sure it’s free of dead leaves and other debris.
- Call for expert help. Other than changing your filter, you should leave most maintenance and repair tasks to your HVAC pro. Call for help if your outdoor unit freezes frequently, if your system is not keeping your house at your set temperature, or if you hear unusual noises coming from the equipment.
Call us at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating for more tips for efficient operation of the heat pump in your Tampa, Clearwater or St. Petersburg area home.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Recent Comments