How You Can Help Your HVAC System Live Longer?

Your HVAC system is a valuable investment that helps keep your home healthy and comfortable. Maintaining your HVAC system regularly with the help of a Columbus heating and cooling expert is a great first step in prolonging the functional lifetime of your furnace and air conditioning. In addition to biannual inspections and tune-ups, there are many other ways in which you can prolong the life of your HVAC system.

Prevent Air Exchange

The more tightly-sealed your home is against drafts, the less work your HVAC system has to do to maintain a comfortable temperature. You can prevent air exchange with the outdoors by updating or adding weatherstripping to the doors and windows of your home, ensuring a tight seal when they are closed. Additionally, address any cracks or holes in your home’s exterior using foam or insulation to prevent air exchange through these areas as well. Check the condition and quality of your home’s insulation—if your home has insufficient or aging insulation, you could be overtaxing your heating and cooling system unnecessarily.

Maintain a Moderate Temperature

Maintaining a moderate temperature in your home means less work for your air conditioner and furnace every time these appliances activate. It requires far more work to heat up a freezing cold home than one that is already relatively warm. During the winter, take advantage of solar heating by keeping your curtains open to allow the sun to supplement your home’s heating system. Conversely, close shades and blinds in the summer to keep your home cooler by blocking direct sunlight during the day. Rather than turning your HVAC system off whenever you leave, simply set the temperature five to ten degrees lower in the winter and higher in the summer; this will help your HVAC system do less work overall throughout the day.

Fix Problems Immediately

Even when you keep your furnace and air conditioner regularly maintained, problems can still occur as these appliances age and individual components wear out. Rather than ignoring the issue and dialing the thermostat up or down, it’s important to address any problems you notice immediately by calling in an HVAC professional to assess the situation and provide repairs. Making small repairs is easier and less involved than making large ones, and will cost less as well. Paying for smaller repairs today can save you the money and hassle of replacing your entire system prematurely tomorrow.

Shade Your Home and Your A/C

The natural shade provided by trees and other landscaping can help to lower your utility bills and reduce the amount of work your air conditioner must do during the summer. Planting trees and tall shrubs to shade the outdoor component of your air conditioner can improve its efficiency by five to ten percent; however, make sure you keep all landscaping at least three feet away from the unit and clear away any debris regularly. Similarly, shading your home with trees can reduce incident sunlight naturally to lower the amount of solar exposure you receive and reduce the workload on your A/C.

With the help of your Columbus HVAC professional, you can prolong the lifetime of your heating and cooling system. Whether you need help diagnosing a problem or want to learn more about maintaining or replacing your furnace or air conditioning, we have the information you need about our HVAC services and products on our website. You’ll find even more helpful heating and cooling information, tips, and advice on our blog.