When it comes to your home’s HVAC system, it’s easy to set it and forget it. But that means it’s easy not to know if everything’s working properly—and when your system isn’t doing what it’s supposed to, it can cause potentially serious problems to your home and everyone who lives there. Make sure all your heating and cooling equipment runs smoothly and safely throughout the year with these tips.
1. Check and Replace Your Air Filters
When your air filter is dirty, it reduces the amount of air that can flow through the system, causing your air conditioner to work harder than normal to keep up. This causes your cooling system to use more energy to keep your home’s temperature balanced, which can cause major wear and tear on your HVAC system over time and increase the risk of your system overheating.
If your air filter is dirty, it also means that your filter can’t properly trap the dust and dirt in the air, making it hard on people and pets with respiratory issues or allergies. Especially when spring and summer roll around and allergens are at their worst, you don’t want to be dealing with frustrating symptoms both outside and inside your home.
The great news is that there’s an easy solution to avoid all this unpleasantness—just change out your air filter! We recommend changing it every few months with the change of the seasons, especially in spring and summer. Need help figuring out what filters to buy for your air conditioner? Check out our article with some tips and tricks.
2. Keep Vents Open & Air Ducts Sealed
Most standard HVAC systems comprise a network of air ducts throughout your house that transfer newly heated or cooled air from your furnace or air conditioner to each room. Keeping these air ducts clear and working properly is key to keeping your home both comfortable and safe.
Some of us were told growing up that closing air vents in rooms you’re not using will lower energy bills—while we hate to correct your parents, this is actually incorrect. Closing air vents around your home can actually lead to higher bills and costly repairs. By closing off an air vent, the air has to find a new path to flow down, causing more air to move through the same duct and an increase in pressure in that duct as a result. This extra pressure can cause leaks to form over time, allowing air to escape before it reaches your room.
Not only does this mean you’re using more energy to heat or cool your home (the exact opposite of a lower energy bill), but these leaky air ducts can also cause harmful “backdrafting.” This is where hazardous gases like carbon monoxide (CO), which comes from gas-operated appliances like heaters, get drawn back into the home instead of being properly ventilated outside.
So by leaving all your air vents open and having an HVAC professional check for and seal up any leaks in your air ducts, you’ll not only save yourself a few bucks in the long run, but you’ll also save your household from breathing in any potentially toxic gases.
3. Have Working Carbon Monoxide & Smoke Detectors
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is produced from gas-burning appliances—like furnaces—and is poisonous to people and pets if inhaled. Carbon monoxide can build up indoors over time, causing symptoms like headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Fortunately, you can install carbon monoxide detectors around your home to alert you if CO levels start to rise to dangerous levels.
Similarly, having working smoke detectors around the house can help keep your household safe in the rare case of an HVAC fire. Faulty electrical wiring, CO leaks, and storing flammable materials near your furnace can all increase your chance of a fire, so be sure to install smoke detectors in your home and have an HVAC professional check over all your equipment.
Place your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors (or joint CO/smoke detectors!) in the following places around your home:
Carbon Monoxide Detectors:
- Outside each bedroom or sleeping area.
- On every floor of your home, including the basement.
- At least 15 feet away from gas-burning appliances, like furnaces, stoves, or fireplaces.
- Inside an attached garage.
Smoke Detectors:
- Inside and outside each bedroom or sleeping area.
- In your living/family room (or den).
- Near your stairway.
- Away from the kitchen to prevent false alarms while cooking and at least 10 feet away from the stove.
Aim to check all your detectors once a month to make sure they’re working properly, and be sure to replace your detectors every 5 years (or sooner, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions).
4. Keep Your Equipment Clear of Clutter & Debris
Another easy way to keep your HVAC system running smoothly and safely is by keeping it clear of any clutter or debris. Even though it’s easy to view your HVAC closet as extra storage space, your heating equipment generates heat and can be dangerous if there are any combustible or flammable items nearby. So make sure to store any paper, rags, paint, or chemicals in a different part of your home and away from your HVAC equipment.
Just like inside your home, it’s also important to keep your outdoor heating and cooling equipment free of things like leaves, mulch, branches, and grass. Over time, these materials can build up inside your system and cause extra wear and tear, so make sure to regularly check and clean out your equipment—especially after a storm. The last thing you want is to lose your air conditioning in the middle of summer because a stray branch got caught in the outdoor unit!
5. Get Your HVAC System Regularly Serviced
While we hope these tips help you feel like you can confidently manage your heating and cooling equipment, there’s one tip we suggest above all the others—to have your HVAC system regularly serviced. Getting your heating and cooling equipment looked at least once a year by professionals will make sure that all the equipment is in good working condition, still hooked up correctly, and that nothing is broken, blocked, or leaking.
For all of you in the greater Indianapolis area, it’s convenient and inexpensive—as little as $65 a visit—to have us come do a thorough cleaning and inspection of your HVAC system. (And we’re not talking about a light once-over, either: our experts check, clean, lubricate, and adjust everything.)
And if you want to really be on top of your HVAC safety, we offer Platinum Maintenance Plans that provide you with seasonal inspections to make sure your home’s systems are in good working order all year round. You’ll get priority scheduling, discounts on repairs and diagnostic charges, and much more. Find out more about our Platinum Maintenance Plans here, and contact us to schedule your next HVAC service—we’ll make sure you feel safe and comfortable this summer and throughout the year!