Fall is the time to start taking some steps to make sure your Denver, CO, HVAC system is ready to make the transition from summer air conditioning to fall and winter heating. Doing so can make a major difference in how well your heating system works while also helping protect your HVAC system from damage and keeping your energy bills lower.
Install a Smart Thermostat
If you’ve lived in the Denver area for some time, you know just how much our fall weather can fluctuate. One day you may need to occasionally run your air conditioning because the sun is shining and it’s a balmy 80 degrees outside. Then the next day it can suddenly get so cold that we receive our first snowfall, and you need to turn your heat on. Sometimes, there are even extreme temperature fluctuations in a single day where it may be nice in the morning when you leave for work only for the temperature to drop and become quite cold before you get home. This is one of the many situations where having a smart thermostat in your home can come in extremely handy. If the temperature does unexpectedly start to drop to the point where you need your heating running, you can use the app for your thermostat to turn your HVAC on remotely.
There are also other benefits to installing a smart thermostat if you don’t already have one. For instance, ENERGY STAR-rated smart thermostats have been independently proven to help homeowners improve HVAC efficiency and lower their heating and air conditioning costs. Many units also have weather-monitoring capabilities that allow them to automatically adjust the temperature in your home or turn your heating on if needed.
If you choose a unit with learning capabilities, it can even program itself with almost no input from you. The way this works is by using motion sensors in various parts of your home that allow the thermostat to learn your normal routine for each day of the week. That means the thermostat will start turning the temperature up or down at various times, such as when you go to bed and wake up as well as when you leave for work and get back home. The sensors also enable the thermostat to know if your home is occupied or not or if you’re up later than usual so that it can adjust accordingly.
Clean Debris From Around Your Outdoor HVAC Unit
You should make sure to keep the area around the outdoor unit clean once the leaves start falling. Leaves often end up getting trapped in the side of AC condensers and heat pumps, which prevents as much air from flowing through the unit. This is a serious issue since it can easily result in the unit overheating and potentially getting damaged. This can also make it work much less efficiently and effectively.
Keep Up With Changing Your Air Filter
Replacing or cleaning the air filter or filters in your HVAC system is by far one of the most important maintenance tasks you can perform. Most manufacturers recommend an air filter change every two or three months. If you have a two-stage or variable-speed system, the manufacturer’s recommendation may instead be to change the filter every month. Whatever the recommendation says is what you should always follow. Nonetheless, you also need to check the filter regularly since there can be situations where you may need to replace it sooner. It’s also a good idea to install a new filter or clean your reusable filter whenever the seasons change just to be certain your heating works effectively once you need to turn it on.
It’s a simple fact that an HVAC system always uses quite a bit more energy and doesn’t perform nearly as effectively as it’s supposed to if you’re running it with a dirty filter. An even bigger issue if your home has a furnace is that a dirty filter can easily lead to it overheating. This has the potential to cause electrical damage or even lead to the heat exchanger cracking. A cracked heat exchanger is by far the worst issue a furnace can have since it can result in exhaust fumes and possibly carbon monoxide leaking out into the duct system and getting blown throughout the house. You’re also looking at spending well over a thousand dollars to replace the heat exchanger in your furnace if it ever cracks.
Check That Your Ductwork Is Properly Insulated
Not all homes require their air ducts to be insulated. It all depends on where inside the house the ducts are located. Any ductwork in an attic or crawl space should always be completely wrapped with insulation, or else the HVAC system will suffer decreased performance and consume more energy. The only issue is that duct insulation degrades over time. Sometimes, you end up with pests chewing through parts of the insulation. This is why it’s a good idea to check the ducts in your attic or crawl space at some point in the fall to make sure they’re still properly insulated. If any of the insulation is missing, having the ducts reinsulated can make a huge difference in your heating costs over the winter and how warm your home is.
Schedule a Fall HVAC Tune-up
The most essential part of ensuring your HVAC system is ready for the transition from summer to winter is to schedule a tune-up and inspection. One of the primary purposes is to check for any issues with your heating system to ensure everything works safely and effectively. It also helps to improve energy efficiency and can even lessen the need for HVAC repairs and extend the life of your system.
A furnace inspection is especially important since it involves testing all the safety switches to ensure there are no issues that could be a fire hazard or potentially cause carbon monoxide to leak into the house. Equally important is cleaning the burners on the furnace to ensure it burns cleanly and the burners ignite immediately when the gas comes on. Furnaces only produce carbon monoxide when the gas they burn doesn’t fully combust. Incomplete combustion is usually a result of the burners being dirty. If the gas doesn’t light immediately, it can also result in the furnace producing a small fireball when it finally lights, which can create a fire hazard or damage the furnace.
Along with having your heating system tuned up, it’s also a good idea to have our technician clean any debris out of the AC or heat pump outside your house. Leaves and debris inside the unit can trap moisture and create a serious risk of components rusting and corroding over the winter. If you have a heat pump, any debris inside it can also make it heat less effectively during the winter and reduce its efficiency.
If you’re looking to prepare your HVAC this fall, High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is the company to turn to. We’re a local company that offers reliable, experienced heating, air conditioning and plumbing services throughout the Greater Denver Metro area. Our certified technicians specialize in HVAC maintenance, repairs and inspections and can handle all your needs no matter what make or model of heating and AC equipment you own. Give us a call today to schedule a tune-up and get your HVAC ready for fall or if you need any other service, like service for your heat pump.
