Owning a home gives you a ton of responsibilities. Besides paying your mortgage, you are also required to ascertain that all systems in your house are functioning efficiently. One item that you need to make sure is in its pristine condition is the HVAC troubleshooting. This is because the system ensures that your house has optimal temperatures and quality air exchange between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
Failure to maintain your HVAC correctly can leave you in a tight spot, especially during the summer months when temperatures are too high or winter when it’s too cold. As a homeowner, you need to have some essential troubleshooting tips to help you when the HVAC has an issue.
5 Troubleshooting Tips You Should Know
1. Replacing Air Filters
Clogged, old, and dirty air filters are the common causes of inefficient functioning HVAC. Therefore, the first troubleshooting tip you should have up your sleeves is how to check and replace air filters. When the filters are blocked or clogged up, they force the system to work harder to deliver the expected results. This makes it use a lot of energy and causes wear and tear, thereby reducing the HVAC’s longevity. Filters should be changed after 90 days. However, you can do it even after one month if the filters are worn out and not working efficiently.
2. Clearing Debris from the Outdoor Unit
Since the outdoor unit is usually in the vicinity of grass, trees, and other physical items, it can accumulate leaves, branches, or other solid particles over time. These substances may obstruct the free flow of air into your indoor space affecting the air quality and cooling capabilities. As a homeowner, you can open the air conditioner condenser unit and clear all the debris to keep the HVAC functioning optimally. You should also remove any vegetation and prune the trees near the outdoor unit.
3. Cleaning Indoor Vents, Ducts, and Registers
When the AC is circulating air through your home, small substances, such as dirt, dust, and other foreign particles, can stick or block the vents, ducts, and registers. This can affect the AC’s efficiency, diminish indoor air quality, and make your home uncomfortable. It would help if you knew when the vents, registers, and ducts need cleaning. And since vent and duct cleaning can be complicated, it would be wise to seek a professional technician’s services.
4. Checking the Thermostat
Since there are HVAC problems that originate from the thermostat, you should know how to check if it’s faulty. If your system is turning on at the wrong time or not starting at all, you try to figure out the problem. First of all, check if the thermostat has power. If it doesn’t switch on, change the batteries to see if they are the problem. And if you reset the temperatures and there is no change, you might need to consult a professional.
5. Checking the Circuit Breakers and Power Supply
If your AC unit doesn’t start at all, you should inspect the electrical supply cords to see if they are in place. Additionally, if your system can start at all, you should check to see if the circuit breakers are on. Sometimes power overload can cause the circuit breakers to cut the power supply, or sometimes people might accidentally turn the switches and breakers off. Also, make sure that your location isn’t experiencing a power outage before you call your technician.
While troubleshooting tips can help you find existing problems with your HVAC, you can’t solve all of them yourself. It would be best if you let a technician take over. For all your HVAC diagnosing, repair, and maintenance needs, call Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning. Their team of highly trained and licensed technicians can help fix any issues with your heating, cooling, and air conditioning systems.