When the winter season comes in New Britain, it can become extremely cold and unforgiving. You don’t want to end up with a malfunctioning heating system during those frigid cold days. You can take many proactive steps to prevent and protect your heating system from experiencing an unfortunate malfunction this season.
Schedule Professional Maintenance Service
The most important thing you can do to protect your HVAC system during harsh weather conditions is get annual maintenance service. Opt for scheduling this during the fall months so you’ll have time to respond to any repairs needed before the cold winter weather hits.
This service will clean your system’s components, lubricate moving parts, calibrate your thermostat, and more. Maintenance service will ensure that your heating system is ready to endure the cold winter season in an energy-efficient manner.
Supplement With Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are a great supplemental tool to use alongside your heating system. During the winter, be sure to run your ceiling fans in reverse. This will force air outward and back down to the floor. By recirculating hot air that gets stuck up at your ceiling, you can reduce the need to constantly run your heating system. The less your system has to run, the lower your energy bills will be and the less of a toll the winter season will take on your system.
Ensure Your Sump Pump Is Working
It’s very common for heating systems to be positioned on the basement level. While this is great for keeping them out of your main living space, it does mean that your system could be susceptible to flooding. Be sure to test your sump pump before the winter season hits. You may even want to consider getting a backup power setup to ensure that your sump pump remains working even if your home’s power goes out.
Seal Up Your Home
Ideally, sealing your home off from the outdoors will help retain all the heat your heating system produces inside. Unfortunately, your home can develop air leaks on its exterior walls over time. These are most common around window and door frames. These leaks can cause cold air to seep in and decrease the ambient temperature in your home. It’s best to identify and seal up air leaks regularly. Some commonly used sealant materials include caulking, weatherstripping, and spray foam insulation.
Use a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats allow you to program in different temperature settings throughout the week. They even let you wirelessly control your thermostat settings from your smartphone. This gives you the ability to better optimize your energy usage throughout the winter season. It also allows you to run your heating system less often, which will help with system longevity while saving you on energy costs.
Keep Up With Filter Replacements
The air filter inside your heating system plays a big role in its operating efficiency. When the filter is fresh, your system can operate at its maximum efficiency level. However, the heating system’s overall efficiency will decline as the filter gets dirty. Continuing to run your system with an overly dirty air filter will cause excessive wear and tear on your heating system, as it struggles to produce enough hot air for your home.
It’s typically recommended that you check the state of your system’s air filter at least once a month. Most homeowners find that they need to change it every one to three months. The frequency of changes will highly depend on the filter’s MERV rating, the number of pets in your home, and other factors. As a general rule of thumb, always have at least one extra filter on hand for when a replacement is necessary.
Check Air Vents
Your heating system is designed to work with all your air vents completely open. Shutting off air vents can affect the pressure inside your ducting and, ultimately, the efficiency of your heating system. It’s best to check all your air vents at the beginning of the season to ensure they’re open.
Be sure that there are no obstructions within three feet of the vent, such as furniture or plants. These obstructions can affect the flow of air in or out of the vent, leading to uneven heating. Also, make sure you wipe off any debris on the register, as it can further restrict airflow from your ducting.
Consider Duct Cleaning and Sealing
Over time, unwanted debris can start accumulating inside your ducting. This can narrow the passageway of your ducting and cause inefficient system operation. Furthermore, joints can develop leaks as the metal ducting expands and contractions with temperature fluctuations. These leaks can allow some of your hot air to escape before it reaches the rooms of your home.
A professional duct cleaning service is a worthy investment. It will remove any excess debris that has built up, helping to increase airflow and boost the quality of air inside your home. Additionally, a duct sealing service will seal up leaks in your ducting to prevent hot air loss.
Let Direct Sunlight Pour In
Direct sunlight is a great free tool for heating your home during the winter months. Open up your blinds and curtains to let as much light in as possible. On an average day, direct sunlight can heat up your room by 10 degrees or more. That’s heat that your heating system doesn’t have to run to produce. You’ll enjoy the energy savings, and your heating system can run less often, reducing wear and tear.
Get a Surge Protector
Your HVAC system is likely one of the most expensive components in your home. Unfortunately, one bad power surge can cause your heating system’s internal circuit boards to short out, causing major system damage and even requiring a replacement, forcing you to invest in a new system much sooner than expected.
With nasty wintertime storms, you don’t want to risk a severe power surge. Having a surge protector installed can help protect your HVAC system from this hazard and provide you with great peace of mind about its overall health and safety.
Getting Chimney Cleaning Service
If your furnace burns natural gas, propane, or heating oil to produce heat for your home, it creates toxic fumes. These fumes need to be vented directly to the outdoors for everyone’s safety. It’s important to get your chimney cleaned every fall to ensure that it allows adequate airflow of these exhaust fumes outside.
Reliable Heating Maintenance Service
TCS Heating and Air Conditioning offers reliable heating maintenance service for New Britain, PA. We can also help with all your heating, air conditioning, ductwork, ductless mini-split, HVAC zoning, and indoor air quality needs. Our family-owned and -operated business has served the area since 1976. We take pride in educating our customers to empower them to make the right choices for their homes. Call us today to book your next service with one of our HVAC technicians.
