Managing a house is no easy task. The most strenuous task is definitely doing the proper maintenance of all the HVAC systems in the house. There are a lot of different appliances that you have to take care of such as the air conditioner and the thermostat.
You should know about some tips that would help you learn more about the maintenance tips yourself. As a result, you would not be reliant on an external contractor that specialized in HVAC in Houston TX. This will save you money because you won’t be paying any contractor to repair your minor issues concerning the HVAC appliances.
Understanding the Basics
For those who have no idea about what HVAC really is, you should know about the basics first. HVAC basically stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. When experts are referring to an HVAC system, they are referring to the nine main components.
The 9 Components of HVAC:
The main components form up the heat and the central air system essentially. The system consists of the vents, furnace, heat exchanged, condensing unit, evaporator coil, heat pump, ductwork, and the refrigerant tubes. We’ll cover each component one by one.
1. Furnace
It’s basically the heating unit of our houses. The furnace’s power source is either natural gas or electrical power. It’s mostly found in the garage, the basement or the utility closet of the house. What the furnace does is that it heats the air and puts it in the ducts. This ultimately helps to warm the whole home.
2. Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger is not the same as the furnace, even though it is often commonly mistaken to be the same. It transforms the cold air into the hot air. This is something that the furnace does not do.
3. Evaporation Coil
It’s something that is located in the interior of the furnace. The coil can take in the heat from the air that goes through it. Then cool air is brought inside your house via the available vents.
4. Condensing unit
This acts as the evaporator coil but it’s located outside your home. The condensing unit basically emits heat in order to cool down the home.
5. Refrigerant tubes
These are refrigerant tubes that help to link the condensing coil and evaporator coil. The tubes’ material is metal and these tubes are quite strong. They help to conjoin the outdoor coil unit with the inside unit.
6. Thermostat
Most homeowners are probably already familiar with this device. It essentially helps you to control the temperature inside your house. The location of the thermostat varies from home to home but they’re usually mounted on walls. Lately, there has been a trend of installing smart technology thermostats that are connected to the internet. These new devices can help you set the temperature easily from your phone.
7. Ductwork
The ductwork helps to spread the air you want in your entire house. So, for instance, if your AC is turning hot air into cool air, the ductwork will help distribute it in your whole house. The ductwork can be found in the attic or the ceiling areas.
8. Vents
Vents are the entryway by which the cooled or the heated air comes into the inside of the home from the ductwork.
9. Heat Pumps
The heat pumps can be used in both summers and winters. This is because they can pump air out of the house. If it’s hot air, it’ll pump that out to cool down the house. On the other hand, if it’s cool air, it will pump that out to warm down the home.
These are the major components that make up your HVAC system. Whenever you are getting any kind of Houston HVAC installation, you will find this basic knowledge incredibly useful.
Some tips for doing maintenance of HVAC
Know what system you have
You can’t simply live in your house without knowing what kind of HVAC system you possess in your household. Know exactly what type of system it is. That means knowing about the details of each component. For example, you should know if your furnace operates on natural gas or whether your house uses a boiler system or not.
Changing the filters on a frequent basis
You have probably heard this by people in the HVAC business. Don’t ignore this advice! It is highly important to change all the air filters in your home frequently. You should also do it if you have recently moved into your new home.
Cleaning the condenser unit
As time passes by, there can be some debris and dust that enters inside the condenser unit. This is because it’s located outside the home. There are trees and shrubs outside and the leaves can fall on the unit. The debris will inhibit its airflow.
Your condenser is usually in your side yard and is easily forgotten. Over time, shrubs and debris can grow or build up around your unit, limiting its airflow, making it work harder to cool your home.
Do not shut your vents
Do not make the mistake of shutting down your vents because it would diminish the efficiency of your HVAC system. People do it thinking it will save energy costs but it actually won’t make that much of a difference.
You should keep the air vents open at all times because it would result in even distribution of the heat around the household.
Cleaning the ductwork
Make sure that you regularly clean the ductwork. When you are regularly cleaning it, you will find out if there is a need to fix anything inside the area. Moreover, effective maintenance of the HVAC system is reliant on keeping your ductwork clean and clear.
Knowing the right contractors
There are some things in the HVAC system that only a licensed contractor could resolve for you. For that, you need to have a list of contractors that you can completely rely on. Build a close relationship with affordable, reliable and trusted contractors that will be there to help you whenever you need them to.
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