Essential Maintenance Tips For Your Home's Forced-Air HVAC System

Posted on: 2 August 2021

Your home's forced-air HVAC system works to provide thermal comfort for your family year-round. During the summertime, it supplies cool air to help you beat the heat. When the cold winter temperatures set in, it blows warm air to add much-needed warmth and comfort to your home.

To keep your HVAC system running in tiptop condition, you'll need to take good care of it. Here are some of the main components that you should keep a close lookout for.

HVAC Air Filter

As the unconditioned air from your home gets drawn into the heating and cooling system, it passes through an air filter whose primary function is to remove airborne pollutants from the air. This helps keep your HVAC components free of dust and dirt while maintaining good indoor air quality. 

Over time, HVAC air filters become dirty and may lead to restricted airflow, which can hurt the performance and efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Be sure to check your HVAC air filters from time to time. If they're dirty, make sure you replace them. If they're reusable, you can clean and reinstall them.

HVAC Ductwork

HVAC ductwork is a series of air ducts used to deliver conditioned air to individual rooms or throughout your home. It must be sealed properly to prevent air leakage and insulated well to minimize energy losses that may occur in uninsulated areas of the home.

HVAC ductwork can affect the performance of your home heating and cooling systems if they become leaky or dirty. Leaky air ducts will result in loss of conditioned air. This will result in underperforming systems that only waste energy and money. Dirty ductwork, on the other hand, may create obstructions in the path that conditioned air travels, resulting in inadequate and inefficient heating and cooling. 

Get your HVAC ductwork checked from time to time to ensure it is airtight and well-insulated.

HVAC Thermostat

This is what regulates your home's indoor temperatures. During the summer season, it's set lower than the room temperature to make the home cooler. In winter weather, it's set higher than the room temperature to make the home warmer.

If you have a smart or programmable thermostat, you can optimize your temperature settings to suit different times of the day and night: when you're home, when you're asleep, and when you're away.

Maintaining the same thermostat settings 24/7 will not only waste energy but also overwork your HVAC system. It's a good practice to adjust your thermostat from time to time to check if it's working properly and to maximize your household's annual energy savings.

HVAC maintenance is a job that requires professional handling to do safely and correctly. Don't hesitate to get in touch with an HVAC contractor if you need help looking after your HVAC system.

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