If you would like to keep your San Diego house clean and pleasant throughout the summer, spring cleaning entails more than simply dusting and scouring. Your HVAC system is placed under a lot of strain between the cold winters and the scorching summer heat. As a result, incorporating HVAC servicing into your cleanup checklist is essential.
Check these simple maintenance jobs off your list before turning your thermostat to cooling mode. This should keep your system functioning smoothly, resulting in a more comfortable summer and fewer costly repairs.
Change the Air Filters
HVAC filters must be replaced at the very least once a season. When you make it a practice to change your air filters every three months or less, you avoid debris accumulating in your HVAC. This allows it to work more effectively. In fact, clean air filters can boost energy efficiency by as much as 5%. If you own pets, your air filters will become clogged faster, so in order to maintain energy efficiency and air quality, you should change them once a month rather than seasonally.
Check and Clean Your Registers
When you’re scrubbing during your spring cleaning, check and clean your intake and return vents. Check that your registers are open and that nothing such as a window covering is blocking them and impeding the free flow of conditioned air into every part of your San Diego home. For proper cleaning, don’t just wipe down or vacuum the grilles. Before vacuuming away dust and pet dander, remove the grilles from the vents. Finally, before reinstalling them, wash them in warm, soapy water.
Change Thermostat Batteries
Thermostat batteries often last a year or even more, so if you replace them each spring, you won’t have to worry about them failing unexpectedly. To replace the batteries in most thermostats, just pull the thermostat away from the wall, retrieve the old batteries, and put new ones in the same way. Check to see if your thermostat requires AAA or AA batteries so you can get the correct ones at the shop. Keep a few extras available in case of future need.
Clean and Switch on Your Fans
Dust off your ceiling fans and other fans, and then switch them on throughout the mild spring days. This will assist in enhancing the air quality in your home and moving fresh air around it. Opening your windows to allow fresh air in is also a good option, particularly if seasonal allergies aren’t an issue. Don’t forget to check the direction of rotation on your overhead fans. Ceiling fans should spin counterclockwise in the summer.
Schedule Duct Cleaning
While every home may benefit from a thorough dusting, the average San Diego home only requires duct maintenance every three to five years. Spring is an excellent time to get your ducts cleaned, so consider whether your home requires that service this year.
Because dust, grime, and debris can accumulate in your ducts, you should undergo a duct cleaning once a year if somebody in your household suffers from asthma or allergies. Dusting your home on a regular basis will help avoid more pollution in your ductwork, but it can’t erase the damage that has already been done. This is particularly true if you have dogs in the house, as your four-legged companions may shed dander and fur on a regular basis.
It’s also a good idea to get your ducts cleaned if you’ve had any renovation work completed in your house in the last year. During building operations, dirt, sawdust, and other types of debris can get into your ducts, affecting the air quality in your home.
Take Off Any Condenser Covers
If you covered your outdoor coil to keep it safe throughout the winter, make sure to remove the cover before starting the system. These coverings not only protect and keep debris out of your equipment, but they also restrict air circulation and heat transfer. Starting the unit with a covering in place for even a short period might seriously harm it. Every year, many homeowners fail to remove their condenser covers, resulting in costly repairs or even the replacement of the entire system.
Clear Away Debris and Plants Around the Outdoor Unit
Even if you completed a thorough cleaning of the area surrounding your outside unit in the autumn, leaves and other debris might still accumulate. During the winter, debris and grime most likely built up around your outside HVAC unit. Clear away any debris gathered around it, and ensure that no neighboring plants are encroaching on the equipment. Your outdoor AC system requires 1 to 2 feet of space around the unit for optimal airflow and performance.
Inspect and Clean the Outdoor Unit
It’s also an excellent idea to clean your entire outdoor unit. You may clean it by wiping it down or vacuuming debris off the sides using a brush. For your own safety, cut off power to the device first! If you discover that some of the unit’s components appear to be misaligned or damaged, contact an HVAC professional so that they can inspect and repair the damage.
Finally, pay particular attention to the refrigerant line connecting the unit to your home. It’s insulated with foam, which should fully cover the line. If some of this insulation is damaged or missing, you should get it repaired before turning on your AC for the warmer months.
Test Your Air Conditioner
After you’ve gone through the HVAC cleaning checklist, test your air conditioner to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you actually need cool air the most. Turn on the AC and wait for a few minutes. Confirm that it is delivering cool air into your home’s rooms and that the air stays cool after the equipment has been operating for some time.
Contact an HVAC professional if the air doesn’t seem cold enough or as cold as it once was. This might indicate that your unit needs to be replaced, but it’s more probable that it simply requires a tune-up or fresh coolant.
Schedule HVAC Maintenance
AC tune-ups are critical for avoiding problems throughout the summer. By arranging an AC tune-up in the springtime, you can ensure that your air conditioner is in good order before the summer heat arrives. HVAC specialists will inspect every part of your system to ensure that nothing is broken and detect any problems. They’ll also completely clean the components, allowing your unit to work more effectively during the summer.
Overall, having your air conditioner serviced will save you energy, decrease your electricity cost, and extend the life of your equipment. As the summer heat approaches, it is the easiest and most effective technique to safeguard your HVAC unit.
Trust the Professionals
Completing this spring-cleaning list will go a long way toward optimizing your summertime use of your HVAC, but to really achieve that objective, you need a partner in the business. If you’re in Santee or anywhere else in the San Diego area, you can rely on [company name]. We perform both heating and cooling installation, maintenance, and repairs. Besides that, we can handle indoor air quality concerns, blown-in insulation, and a complete line of plumbing services. Ours is a family-owned and -operated business with an A+ rating from the BBB.
Call us today to ask us any questions or to set up an appointment.
SPECIALISTS
