After a long hard winter, spring is finally bringing the flowers and sun everyone has been craving. From the Coronavirus to trying to do double-duty when it comes to keeping germs out of your home and from the lockdowns to calling in a technician to take a look at your furnace in the middle of the snowstorms, 2020 was a challenging year for most Americans.
Spring will be in full bloom for a bit, and you might even have to use your furnace on chilly mornings, but it won’t be long until the summer is ramping up, and you’ll need your air conditioner running full-blast. The scraping sound coming from your furnace that you ignored during the winter months could give you a problem during the summer with your HVAC unit as well. If you hear scraping, whistling, rumbling, or a loud bang coming from your furnace, it’s important to call in a technician to check your blower wheel, air ducts, and blower motor right away.
Once the furnace is once again in proper working order, then it’s time to start concentrating on getting your HVAC system in the shape it needs to be for the summer heat to come by reading the tips below.
Check your outdoor area for debris.
The first thing you want to do is check around your HVAC system for debris, weeds, or tall grass that might be covering the outside unit. Ensure that you don’t plant shrubbery too close to your AC unit, as it can grow inside the unit and cause problems. Take the time to rake up any leaves that fell during the fall and winter months also for the best results.
It’s also important to make sure that you wash and disinfect your hands after coming in from checking your outdoor area. You already know why you need to wash your hands in a pandemic, so taking this extra precaution when you come in out of the yard is important. Covid-19 has changed many things in people’s lives, including using hand sanitizer and how they deal with germs. Ensuring that you wash your hands and then use a high-quality hand sanitizer is important, not only according to the CDC but also because it makes good common sense.
Change your air filter.
While you should have been changing your air filter on your furnace all along, it’s super important to change the air filter on your HVAC system before the summer begins. Not only does changing out your air filter help keep your HVAC unit running more efficiently, but it also helps to get rid of allergens in your home and keep you and your family healthy.
Consider upgrading your HVAC system.
There are quite a few signs to watch for when it comes to replacing your HVAC system. If you’ve been paying for repairs over the winter and throughout the spring, then it might be time to save up and spring for a new unit. If your unit is older and no matter what you try, it’s not cooling your home to a comfortable level, then it’s time to call a technician about replacing the unit instead. After all, the last thing you want is to be stuck on the hottest day of the year, with no air conditioning and a technician unable to arrive for weeks due to overbooking.
These are just a few of the best tips out there for helping you to get your HVAC system ready for the summer ahead. Remember, if none of the information above works to cool your home, then it might be time to consider replacing your HVAC unit instead.
