With the seasons changing from winter to spring, it’s time to begin thinking about spring maintenance in your Lorain area home. This should include steps to make sure your HVAC system is prepared to spring forward in both efficiency and performance. Following are some steps to take before the cooling season arrives.
Change the air filter on your furnace or air handler. At the end of a long winter, unless you have changed it recently, the filter likely will be clogged with dust and debris. This impairs airflow across the cooling coils inside and through the air distribution system. It wastes energy, stresses parts such as the blower motor, and makes your system work harder to make the home comfortable. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your furnace blower can take a break for the summer. In most Northern homes, the furnace blower works with the A/C.
Check windows for cracks and gaps around the frame. Use caulk or weather stripping to seal leaks. Replace deteriorated weatherstripping on window sashes and doors. Inspect the inside and outside perimeters of your home, looking for places where air might be leaking. Often, these leaks will worsen over the long winter. Depending on the type and size of air leak, use caulk or spray foam to seal it.
Check your ceiling fans. Make sure their blade-rotation settings are the default counterclockwise, so the air is directed downward toward room occupants. Some homeowners switch the blade rotation to clockwise during the winter, to direct air movement toward the ceiling. This displaces warm air that collects at the top of the room, and pushes it down to where people (and thermostats) can feel it.
Schedule seasonal preventive maintenance for your HVAC system. A professional technician will make sure your A/C and other parts of your system are prepared to cool your home efficiently and effectively until next fall.
For more tips on how to spring forward with your HVAC system, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning, providing quality service to Lorain and Northeast Ohio communities.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area