The burdens of house ownership are substantial. You have responsibilities beyond making mortgage payments, such as ensuring the proper operation of your home’s systems. The HVAC system is one component that has to be in tip-top shape because the system maintains a healthy air balance inside and outside your home.
If you don’t keep up with routine HVAC maintenance, you may find yourself in a bind if the temperature is too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. Having some basic HVAC troubleshooting knowledge is an absolute necessity as a homeowner, so keep these five tips in mind.
1. Read Your HVAC Owner’s Manual
The manufacturer provides a user guide for every HVAC unit. One handbook may be for the heating system, another for the cooling system, and another for the combined units. The HVAC system you have will determine the instructions for care. If you need help with your heating and cooling system, check the owner’s handbook first. Most owners’ manuals provide a full troubleshooting guide or troubleshooting suggestions about identifying and correcting issues.
If you have been tinkering with the system settings to increase your comfort level but nothing has worked, you may need to reset the device completely. Most systems have a button or a switch that enables you to do this. If this is not the case, you will need to power down your system and then reset the circuit breaker before you can turn it back on.
Keep in mind that the purpose of an owner’s handbook is to assist you in locating and fixing simple issues, not complicated ones. You should call a licensed HVAC expert if you’ve exhausted all the troubleshooting procedures in the owner’s handbook without resolving the issue or if there are any troubleshooting tasks that you don’t feel comfortable performing.
2. Double-check the Air Filters
Changing the air filters is the simplest and most probable remedy to various household problems. Clogged, outdated, or unclean air filters commonly cause HVAC units to perform poorly. When was the last time you swapped yours out?
Reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency and increase monthly expenditures by keeping the air filters clean. Filters clogged with dirt and debris may prevent your HVAC system from effectively cooling your house. Because of the obstruction, the HVAC system must work harder. All of these issues may drastically shorten the life of your HVAC system.
Dirty air filters are to blame for the AC’s inability to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house. When the air conditioner’s filter becomes clogged, it has to work harder to keep the house at a comfortable temperature, and indoor air quality suffers. Regularly replacing the air filter will safeguard the machine and your health.
You should change your filters every 90 days or more often if they start to wear out and stop doing their jobs. You can resolve several common problems and save money by installing a new air filter.
3. Check Your Thermostat
It may be frustrating to try troubleshooting HVAC problems because homeowners often think that the issues are mechanical, so they believe there is a problem with a moving element or another mechanical component. On the other hand, as with any electrical system, HVAC issues may sometimes be easily resolved if you know where to look.
If you have already examined the power supply and the filter, the thermostat is the next location you should investigate. Problems with the thermostat may be simple to resolve, depending on the nature of the issue. You may need to recalibrate your thermostat, for instance, if it’s not producing the desired results when set to the appropriate temperature.
You may need to clean it if it does not turn off. In addition, consider swapping out the batteries. More complicated problems like moving the thermostat or conducting a replacement, repair, or adjustment on the thermostat may require the assistance of a trained HVAC specialist.
4. Make Sure to Check All of the Doors and Vents
The basic objective of an HVAC system is to evenly distribute heated or cooled air throughout a home to achieve balanced comfort. After you have adjusted the setting on your thermostat, the heating and cooling system will continue to blow air around the house until the temperature in every room is where you want it to be. The HVAC system can only achieve this if there is sufficient room for the air to flow.
One of the most typical errors that homeowners make is sealing off particular rooms by shutting doors and vents in order to concentrate all of the airflow in one area. Because it puts excessive pressure on the HVAC system’s compressor and fan, this strategy may cause the system to break down. The circulation is hindered by closed doors and vents. Shutting off rooms will not assist you in getting more air into a certain room.
When diagnosing your home’s HVAC system, you should go through each room and open all of the doors and vents. The air can flow effectively throughout the whole home after you do this. Additionally, it enables your HVAC system to perform its functions without exerting double the normal amount of effort.
5. Inspect the Outside Unit and Breaker Box
The outside unit may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of HVAC problems, but it is a very important part of your system because it is where air flows through your house. If part of your HVAC unit is outside, all sorts of things can get in the way of its ability to cool the air and keep it clean.
Things like leaves and twigs can get caught inside. Cleaning the machine and the area around it will keep the system working better. Open the condenser unit, and clean out all the junk to keep the HVAC system running well. We also suggest removing any extra plants and trimming any trees close to the outdoor unit.
You should check the power of your unit. If the power went out or something else caused the circuit breaker to trip, clean the air filters before turning the breaker back on. Dirty filters can make the unit work too hard, which could have been what caused the trip to begin with. Also, looking for frayed or broken wires is a good idea. A broken plug could cause your HVAC problem. You can test this idea if you plug in a different high-voltage device. Call a pro to check the AC unit for a blown switch or a broken motor if the device works.
Consult the Pros
As a San Marcos homeowner, having a basic understanding of how to troubleshoot issues with your HVAC system will assist you in locating issues that may already be present. Still, you can’t repair everything on your own. The reassurance that comes from knowing you have a skilled HVAC expert with both years of experience and the appropriate equipment at their disposal may help you make it through yet another summer.
We have a staff of highly trained and certified professionals that can assist you in resolving any problems you may be experiencing with the systems in your home. Contact Oak Island Heating and Air Conditioning now for all your HVAC requirements, including cleaning, maintenance, and installation of new equipment.
