Prevent Costly Repairs With These Monthly HVAC Maintenance Tips
7 Monthly HVAC Maintenance Tips For Your
Southwest Oklahoma Home
You Can Prevent Costly Repairs With
Routine Maintenance
If you live in Southwest Oklahoma, your HVAC unit is often running year-round. It is important to know the monthly maintenance you can perform yourself on your HVAC unit to keep it running well.
Regular maintenance is not just meant to help your unit run better; it is a way to ensure you avoid costly repairs which could have easily been prevented.
Here are seven maintenance tips you can do yourself to prevent costly repairs later down the road.
1. Replace Your Filters Routinely
Your HVAC unit uses filters to help decrease the dust, pollen, and airborne particles in the air. For this reason, filters need to be replaced.
The type of filter you use is going to dictate how often it needs replacing. However, a good rule to remember is to replace your filter every 30 to 90 days.
If you have pets in your Southwest Oklahoma home, you will want to replace your filters every 30 days. For those who suffer from severe allergies during allergy season, you may also want to change out air filters more often. Air filters can make an enormous difference in your home’s air quality.
Monthly, you will want to pull the HVAC filter out and inspect it. If your air filter is gray or black, it needs to be changed.
2. All Registers Should Be Open
Check the registers around your Southwest Oklahoma home. The registers will be in every room of your home. Both the return and supply registers should be open. Monthly, do a quick walk-through to ensure these are open.
In order for your HVAC to heat or cool your home properly, at least 80% of registers should be open. This may mean opening registers in a room you don’t use, but it ensures a better running HVAC unit.
3. Use A Smart Programmable Thermostat
Using a smart programmable thermostat will help reduce the wear and tear on your HVAC unit. Since your smart thermostat will keep your home at a set temperature, it helps reduce the times your HVAC is struggling to keep up with a changing temperature on your thermostat.
Smart thermostats are a one-time investment until they misfunction. However, each month you will want to ensure the thermostat is set properly. Remember, if there is a power surge or flicker, the programming could revert back to factory settings.
4. Clean Condenser Coils
The condenser coils on your HVAC are on the unit outside your home. Being outside, condenser coils can easily collect dirt, cobwebs, grass clippings, and so forth. Keeping the condenser coils clean ensures your HVAC unit runs better.
Monthly, take a water hose and spray the condenser coils. Use a water hose that has an attachment with enough water pressure to ensure all the dirt/debris/grass is knocked away.
5. Ensure Grass And Shrubs Are Trimmed Back
Your outdoor HVAC unit will put off measurable heat while in use. Therefore, you will want to ensure shrubs and grass are at least a foot away from your outdoor unit at all times.
If shrubs and grass are too close to your outdoor unit, you run the risk of the extreme heat from the unit causing a fire, especially in dry conditions.
Trim away any shrubs which could get close to your HVAC unit, and be sure to avoid grass clippings pilling up around your unit. The fewer objects around your HVAC unit, the better!
6. Clean Your Vents
When was the last time you cleaned your vents? Many people view vent cleaning as a spring cleaning type of task. However, cleaning vents monthly is a great way to ensure better airflow with your HVAC unit.
Invest in a vent cleaning tool attachment for your regular vacuum, and run the tool as far as possible into the vents to remove dust, dirt, and debris. A few extra minutes of cleaning your vents each month makes for less of a job versus cleaning yearly.
7. Listen To Your Unit
Take a few minutes each month and listen to your HVAC unit. Do you hear anything out of the ordinary? An unusual sound could be the first sign you have an issue.
If you hear squeaking, buzzing, or any other sound that was not there last month, it may be time to schedule a professional inspection to avoid failure later.
How To Avoid Forgetting To Do Maintenance
You have a busy life, and little things like maintaining your HVAC unit each month can slip by. It is not uncommon to stop and think, “Wow, has it really been two months since the filter was replaced?”
Because of your busy schedule, we would recommend that you set a monthly reminder on your cell phone for HVAC maintenance. You can even set your reminder for the first day of each month you have off from work.
Once you set your monthly reminder, be sure to act on it. Remember, putting in the time now for monthly HVAC maintenance can save you money in the long run. In fact, you will find monthly maintenance can save you money on:
- Your energy bills
- Replacing an HVAC unit sooner than expected, which is an expense of anywhere from $1000 to $5000+
- Repair bills, which can average anywhere from $300 to $1000+ depending on the issue
Robinson Air: Your Southwest Oklahoma HVAC Pros
Regular maintenance is vital for your HVAC unit. However, wear and tear can happen, and when it does, you need professionals you can trust. Robinson Air is the professional you can rely on!
Starting in 2011, Robinson Air has proven time and time again just how competent and loyal we are to the Southwest Oklahoma area. Our reputation speaks for itself, and we are here to help in any way possible! If you are having any issues with your HVAC system, contact us at 580-699-5760 for quality work you can trust.