Autumn will soon arrive in Baltimore, MD, so it’s a good time to start thinking about fall HVAC maintenance. In fact, the weeks leading up to the official start of fall offer the perfect opportunity to think about HVAC maintenance and how to prepare your heating system for cooler temperatures.
We’ll explore the various ways to safeguard your cooling equipment during the winter and keep your heating components running well throughout the season. You’ll learn which of these tasks you can do yourself and which require the expertise of heating and cooling professionals.
1. Continue to Maintain the Outdoor Unit
As fall arrives, you need to ensure that your air conditioning system’s outdoor unit stays well-protected. When trees drop their leaves, they can fall inside the outdoor unit. Continue to remove debris from the unit to prevent it from hindering the equipment’s performance when the air conditioner runs.
If you have a lot of trees in your yard, cover the outdoor unit with a protective cover as leaves, pine needles, and twigs continue to fall. However, take the cover off once the trees become bare. HVAC experts don’t recommend leaving protective covers on during the winter because your outdoor unit can handle snow and ice. Leaving the cover on can attract critters and hold moisture that can damage internal elements.
2. Check the Air Filter
Large airborne particles can damage sensitive heating equipment, cause airflow issues, and put unnecessary strain on the system. You should already be checking the filter every 30 days to see how dirty it is. However, crazy summer schedules can sometimes interfere with this task. So, before fall arrives, check the filter. Is it overly clogged with dust and debris? If so, change it to ensure your heating equipment runs well and doesn’t raise your utility bills.
3. Prepare Air Vents for Fall Heating
As summer winds down, spend some time going room to room in your home and checking the air registers for dust. Overly dirty air vent grilles block airflow and can make it harder for your heating equipment to do its job. You can use a vacuum attachment or a handheld dusting tool to clean the grilles. Some people prefer to unscrew the vent cover and wash it with warm, soapy water.
Cleaning isn’t the only way to prepare your air vents for fall heating. You also need to ensure proper airflow balance, and one way to do this is to make sure every vent in every room is open. It’s a common misconception that shutting vents conserves energy. Instead, it disturbs the airflow balance and increases wear and tear on the HVAC equipment. It also raises your energy bills.
4. Seal Leaky Ductwork
Leaky air ducts waste energy and leak heated air into spaces above the ceilings and walls. Sealing leaks wastes less energy and keeps your home more comfortable. Although home improvement stores sell tape to seal ductwork, sealing leaky ductwork isn’t a DIY job. Investing in professional sealing ensures proper sealing of the ductwork. It also reduces your heating costs, saving you more money on your utility bills, and even improves indoor air quality.
5. Give Your Heating System a Test Run
Before cooler temperatures arrive, give it a test run. Turn your heating system on and bump it up 3 to 4 degrees to begin the heating process. Once the system turns on, let it run for about two minutes. Then, go from room to room and put your hand over the floor vents. Do you feel warm air?
While the system runs, listen for any strange sounds. Do the components rumble or bang? All heating systems make some sounds upon startup, but you shouldn’t hear any weird or unusual noises.
Also, pay close attention to any odd odors. Heating systems often emit a burning odor the first one or two times they run. This odor is normal and happens because the unit is burning off dust and dirt that collected inside it over the cooling season when it didn’t run. However, if the furnace continues to smell like it’s burning or it emits a chemical smell, turn it off, and call for professional HVAC services. The heating system might have an electrical or mechanical problem.
Let the heating system run for about 10 minutes. Pay attention to whether it completes a cycle. If your furnace turns on and off within a few seconds and then repeats this process, call for heating services. If you have a gas furnace, the burners might be dirty and blocked. If your furnace runs on electricity, it might have an ignition issue.
6. Schedule Professional HVAC Maintenance
Every homeowner needs to schedule a professional HVAC maintenance check. While most of the maintenance tips mentioned above can be done yourself, only an HVAC professional can perform a thorough maintenance check. These industry professionals inspect, clean, and tune up the system to ensure it works at peak efficiency all season long.
A thorough heating system tune-up includes:
- Adjustment of airflow for proper temperature rise
- Inside cooling coil inspection
- Primary and secondary drains inspection
- Blower components adjustment, inspection, and cleaning
- Condenser coil cleaning and inspection
- Lubrication of all moving parts
- Inspection of electrical connections and tightening when necessary
- Filter checks
- Monitoring voltage and amperage draw on all motors
- Heat cycle monitoring
- Heat exchanger and burner-vacuum inspection and adjustment
- Monitoring flue draft for safe operation
- Inspecting and adjusting pilot operation
- Thermostat operations inspection
- Checking heat exchanger for cracks
The Purpose of Fall HVAC Maintenance
The primary reason for fall HVAC maintenance is to identify problems early and fix them so that you won’t have bigger problems as the season progresses. It’s also a great way to extend the lifespan of the HVAC system. When you invest a little time and money into fall HVAC maintenance, you can expect cheaper heating bills and fewer emergency repairs. You will feel more comfortable in your home, too.
Fall maintenance services also give you the opportunity to learn more about upgrading your system. If, during a professional maintenance check, your technician determines that your system is no longer serving you well, you have time to shop around for an upgrade. You won’t feel rushed to purchase a system as you might during an emergency.
At At Your Service Heating & Cooling LLC, we want you to stay comfortable in your Baltimore home when the temperatures drop. Since 2013, we’ve provided top-tier heating and cooling services to homes throughout the area. We’re a family-owned business and take pride in the relationships we’ve built. Our full range of heating and cooling services, including duct cleaning, boiler services, and geothermal HVAC, help homeowners and businesses enjoy worry-free HVAC year-round. When you call us, you can count on our team to take your concerns seriously and always go the extra mile for you. From our high-quality customer service to our excellent problem-solving to our premier maintenance program, we come through for our clients every time.
To schedule your fall HVAC maintenance service in Baltimore, call our team at At Your Service Heating & Cooling LLC today!
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