Serving all of Brevard County, FL
While it’s still lovely during the daytime, our nights are cooling down. For some, that means it’s time to flip on the heater. Before doing so, however, it’s smart to perform some regular maintenance to ensure your HVAC unit is running safely and efficiently.
The easiest way to perform maintenance on your HVAC system is to have someone else do it. A skilled Page Air, Inc. technician can check that your unit is running efficiently and properly and inspect the unit. If necessary, we can change the air filter while we do that.
If you want to get a head start on getting your heater ready, you can change the filter, inspect the outside components of the unit, and clean your vents. Any further maintenance should be left to a professional.
Change the Air Filter
If your system hasn’t been running, it’s a good idea to change out the filter. If you’ve been running your unit and haven’t changed the filter, it’s time to do so. Filters should be changed every 3 months at minimum. Households with pets, individuals with allergies, or a tendency to collect dust should change their filters monthly.
To change your filter, first check your unit and find out where the filter is located. Different units have their filters in various places. Some make it more or less difficult to take it out. Once you’ve found the location, take a look at the size of the filter so you can be sure you purchase the right one for your unit. Once you have your new filter, simply swap it out for the old one. Have a trash bag ready for that old filter so you won’t track dust throughout your home.
Visually Inspect and Clean Around Unit
While you’re changing the filter, take a moment to clean up around your unit. If possible, carefully vacuum around the unit. Make sure there aren’t leaks or that there don’t appear to be any visible issues.
Clean Your Vents
Now, this is something a tech won’t do for you. Thankfully, it’s easy and doesn’t take too much time. Before turning on your unit, or while it’s shut off if you’ve already started heating your home, remove the vents from your floor and look for debris. If you have kids, there’s a good chance a Lego or two has snuck into your vents. Remove anything you want to keep and vacuum up the dust that has collected in the vents. This will help limit smells and allow your system to work more efficiently. If you have vents in your ceiling, use the hose on your vacuum cleaner to suck out any dust. You may want to wear goggles so dust doesn’t fall into your eyes while doing this.
For more info on maintenance, check out this short article by Trane.
Once your unit is up and running for the first time, it may smell for a moment. Cleaning the vents beforehand can reduce this. If the smell doesn’t go away or if the unit doesn’t seem to be pushing out as much hot air as it did before, you should make an appointment with a Brevard heater repair technician as soon as possible.
Running a unit that is experiencing a problem may further damage the unit. Make an appointment as soon as you know something is wrong. If you can’t wait too long before having your HVAC unit serviced, don’t worry. The skilled technicians at Page Air, Inc. are ready to help Brevard County residents day or night with our 24-hour service.
