One of the keys to keeping the heat out of your home is through the proper maintenance of your HVAC system! Learn to change your filter, why it’s important, and how to be ready for the heat when it hits.
To start with, HVAC stands for “heating, ventilation, and air conditioning” and works to pull in air, which is either heated or cooled, then redistributed through your house via ventilation. Understanding how your HVAC system works is important – the job of your HVAC filter is to filter out any allergens, pet hair, dirt, and debris, keeping them out of the insides of your HVAC system. Keeping your HVAC filter regularly maintained will not only save you money, but also extend the life of your system.
If your filter has not been changed recently, then there’s a good chance that your HVAC system is working overtime and is expending more energy than would be necessary if the filter was clear. On average, having a clean and efficient filter can save between 5-15% of your electric bill, certainly enough to be a noticeable difference!
One of the last things you want to be dealing with is a broken HVAC system in the middle of a heat wave during the summer. Changing your filter helps your HVAC live longer. How? The dirtier that your filter is, the more air is necessary to draw in, resulting in the system working harder. The more work that your system has to do, and the more energy that it expends, risks leading to untimely, although often avoidable, HVAC breakdowns.
In order to keep your HVAC system running clean, just remember to change your filters! If you live in your home full time, you should be changing out your filter every three months. If you own any pets that shed hairs, such as cats or dogs, you should change a minimum of once every two months, although in households with multiple pets, sometimes a filter change will be necessary around the four to six week mark.
Your HVAC system is one of the most expensive parts of your home. Replacing an air conditioning unit tends to cost around $5,000 on average, while a furnace replacement costs about $3,000. Remember that running maintenance yourself is very inexpensive, simple, and will help not only with the effectiveness, but also the longevity of your system!
The health of your family is directly impacted by the quality of the air you all breathe in. If you or someone in your household suffer from asthma, allergies, or other respiratory issues, or if you house elderly family members, then maintaining the air quality will be even more important.
If you do not change out your air filters regularly, you may experience some short-term effects such as irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as occasional headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Long-term effects can result in much more severe illnesses, such as chronic respiratory illness or heart disease. Dirty filters needlessly risk the health of you and your family. The good news is that you can buy HEPA-rated filters specifically designed to block the most pollen, fur, and other allergens, allowing for easier breathing.
Maintaining your HVAC is not just easy, but also far more cost effective than waiting for something to go wrong. By keeping your indoor air quality the highest you can, you save money on heating and cooling costs, along with keeping the system running with far more efficiency. You will not just keep yourself and your family safe, but also be providing a more comfortable space to be living in!
If you’re experiencing prolonged problems with your HVAC system, and you can’t find the source, call Reddi Services today. Specializing in all matters of HVAC maintenance and repair, we will have your system back up and running in no time! Be sure to check out our Reddi Planned Maintenance program for even more benefits.
Have you found yourself having to count on an increasingly unreliable HVAC unit, wondering about the expenses to replace it? While we can’t give a definite replacement cost in the article, we can give some insight into whether or not a replacement unit is the necessary action for you, and how to account for additional factors that would contribute to your final bill.
If you are interested in a largely inclusive home warranty plan, Reddi Services may have the option for you! Our Reddi Planned Maintenance (RPM) program offers annual heating and cooling safety checks and service, along with annual plumbing safety checks and inspections! Quality maintenance extends the life of your equipment and saves you money.
Sometimes it may just be obvious; your HVAC unit is old, it may be making irregular noises, and perhaps has needed multiple repairs through the years. On the other hand, the answer is not always so obvious, and you find yourself adjusting the thermostat more often, resulting in a larger energy bill. No matter the case, if either of these sound true, it may be worth considering a new HVAC system.
Your HVAC unit is one of the most important pieces in maintaining your home, and when it comes time to replace it, we understand it can be a daunting task. Here are some important things to keep in mind when searching:
For the most part, a replacement and repair cost of a cooling unit can range from $150 to $4,000. Heating units cost roughly the same amount as well. If you are thinking that you need a full replacement, you’re likely looking at spending a few thousand dollars. Some additional factors to consider when looking for a unit include:
As with other costly repairs, your home system replacement is a serious investment. It can be unfortunate, but sometimes even new units will have a performance issue every once in a while. Reddi Services covers what many home warranty companies don’t, giving you peace of mind and knowing your home’s most important appliances are being well-kept. Call today to learn more and secure your home with our RPM program!
While we experience the heat of the summer, nothing is more dreadful than the thought of our A/C unit shutting off on us. Make sure to give it regular inspections to protect from rodents and other pests.
Almost any creature that can gnaw, crawl, build, or slither around your unit has the potential to cause serious damage, both inside your unit and in your home.
Rodents are one of the trickiest pests for you to keep out of your ventilation as they are able to squeeze into any hole with the width of a small coin, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Interior air vents with angled or grid-styled openings that are smaller than a nickel will keep out most rodents. The places to watch for will be access to your intake vents and exterior air vents, where entry points tend to be larger, or in attic and crawl spaces. Be sure to keep any holes covered and properly maintained.
Even if you do not see any rodents, they can cause plenty of damage in the background. The droppings and dander from rodents cause allergic reactions in some people, and rodents are notorious for spreading disease and illness, through direct means and by infecting things such as food sources. If you notice a strange smell in your vents, check to be sure no rodents have died in your vents.
Pest-proofing your A/C unit, along with entrances to your home, will keep you and your family safe, and ensure a longer lasting life for your A/C unit. In order to keep things working smoothly, we recommend:
Make sure to have a regular inspection routine for your unit. Getting your unit serviced once a year will allow for your technician to identify any potential problems your unit may experience, including finding signs of pest activity. When it comes time to schedule a repair or replacement, do not push it off; the better maintained your unit is, the longer it should last you. Reddi Services specializes in all matters of A/C service and is here to assist you today!
Make sure to watch for some of the common red flags that are often overlooked when it comes to your HVAC unit, especially since we have had not only a long summer, but also the single hottest summer in Arizona ever recorded. With a few more months of heat left, make sure you take care of these potential problems today and eliminate the risk of a bigger, more expensive problem in the future.
The last thing you need to deal with is a heater going haywire and blowing cold air in the winter, or the AC not switching on during the middle of summer. Not only are HVAC problems some of the most expensive home repairs you can make, but you also depend on your system to keep your home habitable! If things go wrong, your home may quickly become too hot, too cold, or uncomfortable. Because of how expensive HVAC replacements can be, it’s always good to know what red flags to look for so you can get things fixed before an entire replacement becomes necessary. Use this list we’ve put together for a better understanding of what to watch out for with your HVAC unit.
While natural gas and electricity rates may increase over time, your month to month energy bill should not have a drastic difference between seasons. While you may see a spike in your costs after experiencing more extreme temperatures, you should also be aware of increases in energy cost that have occurred for no reason. If you have not recently changed the thermostat, your service rates have not been raised by your provider, and if you have not had any extreme weather that would change the amount of energy required to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, there is a good chance you have an HVAC problem.
While natural gas does not have a smell on its own, it is common practice for gas companies to add a sulfurous odor that smells like a rotting egg. This addition helps you to identify if a gas leak is occurring in your home, especially near your furnace. If you detect a gas leak, immediately remove everyone from your home and call your gas company’s emergency number. If possible, shut off the gas to your home until help comes.
Apart from natural gas, HVAC units sometimes can have a musty or burning smell, signaling that a repair is needed.
If you find that your AC is not cooling or if your heater is not keeping your home warm, you have a major red flag. If the temperature set on your thermostat is not being reached, even if your system continues to work, it is most likely an HVAC issue. If your HVAC will not kick on at all, you may be experiencing a faulty AC contactor, which is in charge of controlling the electric flow between the parts of your unit.
No AC or heater will be fully silent, but you should not be hearing more than the occasional sound of air coming out of a vent or the hum of a machine functioning if you are close enough to it. If you hear any banging, whistling, squeaking, scraping, rattling, or other harsh noise, you are likely experiencing an HVAC problem such as a broken blower wheel.
Seek immediate help from a professional if you experience loud noises coming from a gas furnace.
Your AC unit will leak a little water while it is on, but it should never be a large amount, and it should only be noticeable around the AC unit outside, not away from it or inside your home. If you see air ducts dripping water, or if you see traces of condensation around vents, exhaust ports, or around windows, you may have an AC problem. Keep in mind that you should not be running your AC if outdoor temperatures are under 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as this will cause increased leakage. In most cases, leaky AC units are caused by leaving in a clogged and dirty AC filter, however the improper installation of a unit can result in blocked drain pipes or low refrigerant levels.
Most HVAC systems are designed to live around 15 years, so if yours is approaching or has already passed that age, there is a good chance you’ll soon be in the market for a new unit. When getting an older system replaced, it’s recommended that you change both the AC unit and heater at the same time, this way you are guaranteed to have a compatible system than risk running them against each other.
Nobody wants to deal with a broken HVAC, but by staying vigilant, you can improve the lifespan of your system and likely catch most issues before they cause need for greater concern. Be sure you’re ready to handle the tail-end of the summer heat without any issues and get an inspection today!
