Heating and cooling systems are among the most important systems in any household. Homeowners know that these systems help regulate indoor air temperature and manage air quality, yet some homeowners engage in bad practices that can damage their HVAC systems over time.
Recognizing some habits that can hurt the performance of your unit will allow you to avoid these behaviors in your home.
- Setting the Temperature Too Much
The thermostat is a part of the HVAC system that controls the temperature setting of your furnace or air conditioner. The thermostat helps manage the HVAC system for your desired temperature. One common mistake that homeowners do is set the temperature at the maximum output.
Keep in mind that adjusting the temperature to the lowest or highest setting will not make your home heat or cool faster, but will just cause your HVAC equipment to work harder and to achieve the set temperature.
Constantly turning on and shutting down your unit can cost a heavy toll on the HVAC system, so constantly adjusting the thermostat and doing multiple on and off cycles throughout the day could reduce the lifespan of your HVAC system.
- Covering the Outdoor Condenser Unit
One of the major components in your HVAC system is located outside your home. The condenser is responsible for cooling the refrigerant from a vapor back to a liquid and exhausting any heat picked up by the inside coil in your home back into the outside environment.
If your condenser can do its function efficiently, your home will stay more comfortable and use less energy to cool. Do not cover the outdoor condenser since air needs to flow smoothly around the condenser unit for your air conditioning system to do its job properly. Overgrown plants, plastic covers, and even outdoor items stored near the condenser can significantly reduce the output of the unit. A crowded or covered condenser can get damaged, which can be costly to repair. Keep the space around your condenser open, and you should not experience any air conditioning problems with limited airflow.
- Disregarding Maintenance and Ventilation Cleaning
Many homeowners tend to ignore their HVAC systems until it eventually malfunctions. Neglecting preventative maintenance is one of the worst mistakes that you can make to your HVAC system.
Preventative maintenance programs keep your HVAC system operating safely and efficiently. An expert technician will come to your home regularly and examine your HVAC equipment. This provides early detection of problems that might compromise the efficiency and performance of your unit, as well as increase your energy bills
Preventative maintenance can also spot minor damages that might lead to a much more problematic situation if not repaired quickly. A great example is a fractured heat exchanger that could potentially leak deadly carbon monoxide gas out of your heating system. During routine checks, an HVAC technician will conduct a carbon monoxide test to secure the safety of your HVAC system and your home.
The performance and safety of your HVAC system depends on your actions as the owner. These bad habits could weaken your HVAC system and compromise its ability to heat and cool your home effectively.
Contact Green Tree Heating & Cooling if you want to learn more about taking care of your HVAC system. We offer complete repairs and preventative maintenance to help you keep your HVAC systems running at full potential. We look forward to working with you.
