If you live in the Midwest, you know how quickly the weather can go from sunny and 80°F to snowy and -12°F. With winter on the horizon here are some winterization tips to prepare your HVAC system for the inevitable rollercoaster of Midwestern weather.
Home HVAC Winterization Best Practices
Prep your Furnace:
If your Cedar Rapids home has a furnace powered heating system, it needs specific attention during the winterization process. Debris can accumulate throughout the year when your system is operating. To ensure your system will continue running at full functionality during the harsh winter months, vacuum out the dust and dirt that has collected inside the furnace.
Change your HVAC filter:
The easiest step in your winterization process is a simple filter change. If you didn’t change your filter last fall it is imperative to get a new filter ready for winter.
Troubleshoot your Thermostat:
It’s always better to check this while there are still warm days on the horizon vs. waiting to find out when the weather has already hit 30s. Start by comparing the actual temperatures in different parts of your house with what your thermostat reads. Finding inconsistencies could reveal a weakness in your HVAC system, insulation or the thermostat itself.
Clean your Air Vents:
It is important to make sure that your air vents are clean before you start running your heating system, use a shop vac or vacuum with a long hose to clean out your vents. In doing so you will prevent fires within your home.
Clean your Outside Air Conditioning Unit:
With Autumn comes a ton of falling debris. Oftentimes some of this debris will end up in your outdoor air conditioner unit. While your unit is designed to be able to function safely with some debris in it, it’s best practice to clean it out at the end of the season to prevent build up over years of neglect. Before cleaning make sure power is shut off to the unit, and use a shop vac to suck out any debris and a hose to wash off the fins on the outside of the unit.
Turn Off the Power:
Any device that is connected to electricity can suffer from a power surge, it’s vital to protect against power surges. This is essential when you are talking about expensive pieces of equipment such as an air condition compressor. The best way to protect your compressor from power surges is to cut the power to the compressor at the breaker box for the winter. Taking this extra step will ensure that your compressor isn’t drawing and “vampire power” when it’s not being used along with aiding in keeping your utility bill as low as possible in the winter months. Just be sure to restore power to the compressor in the spring before you turn your air conditioner back on.
Repair/ Replace Insulation:
Once you have finished winterizing the mechanical components of your home, it’s important to ensure the ducts are properly winterized. All of these other steps will do you no good if your ducts aren’t properly protected from the frosty temps. Making sure your ducts are properly insulated is important because otherwise the air flowing through them will change temperature as the air flows through various rooms. This could lead to a major reduction in your furnace’s efficiency.
Covering: Yes or No?
For some people, their winterization prep work isn’t complete until they have put a cover over their outdoors A/C unit. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily best practice. While there is a wide range of air conditioner covers available, these units are made to withstand the effects of moisture along with all of the other elements they withstand outdoors. The issue with these covers is the fact that they are waterproof, which means they are not breathable. Which means if (and when) moisture finds its way into your outdoor unit, it wont have any way to evaporate. This could lead to rust along with several other problems all of which could be avoided if your unit was left uncovered.
Get Professional HVAC Service Help
As you complete your winterization check list, you may come across jobs that are too complex or time consuming to fit your schedule. Contact Colony Heating and Air Conditioning and ask about their Maintenance Program to help ease your mind throughout the year. Whether you just need an HVAC tune-up, system upgrades or professional help on how to prep your home for a Midwestern winter.
