Wilmington has hot, humid summers and cold, damp winters. Getting your HVAC system ready for each season makes sure it works well and reliably when you need it the most. Here are some important things you need to do to get your HVAC ready for summer and winter in our area.
Checklist for HVAC in the spring: Get ready for the heat of summer.
As spring turns into summer and the weather starts to warm up, you’ll want to make sure your air conditioning can keep your home cool during Wilmington’s hot, sticky summer:
Set up an AC Tune-Up: It’s best to have a professional check and fix your air conditioning system in the spring. Before the real heat comes, an HVAC technician will clean the coils, check the refrigerant levels, test the electrical parts, and make sure your AC is working properly. Spring maintenance helps you avoid breakdowns on the hottest summer days and keeps your cooling bills down.
Change the Air Filter: After the spring pollen has gone, put in a new HVAC filter. Cleaning the filter lets more air flow through and helps your AC cool better. It also makes the air inside cleaner during allergy season.
Check the outdoor condenser unit of your air conditioner to see if there is any debris. Get rid of any leaves, pine needles, or other yard waste that has built up around it during the fall and winter. To keep proper airflow, cut back any shrubs or weeds that are close to the unit so that there is about two feet of space around it. If you can see that the condenser coils are dirty (they are covered in dust or pollen), turn off the unit’s power and gently rinse them with a hose to get rid of the dirt. In the summer, your AC will work better if the outdoor unit is clear and clean.
Check Your Cooling System Early: Don’t wait until the first day of 95°F to find out that your AC isn’t working right. Change your thermostat to cooling mode and let the air conditioner run for a few minutes on a nice spring day. Check to see if cool air is coming out of the vents and listen for any strange sounds. Testing early gives you time to fix problems before the real heat hits. You can call for service in the spring when HVAC companies are less busy than in the middle of summer, if something seems wrong, like the air not being cold enough or you hear strange noises.
Fall HVAC Checklist: Get Ready for the Cold Weather
It’s time to get your heating system ready when fall comes and the summer heat finally goes away. Our winters aren’t too bad, but we do get cold snaps and frosty nights when a good heater is a must:
- Set up a tune-up for your heating system: Like you do with your air conditioner in the spring, you should plan to have your furnace or heat pump serviced in the fall. A professional will look at all the parts, clean the system, and make sure your heater is working safely and efficiently. This tune-up is very important to keep your car from breaking down in the winter. You want your heater to work well on cold nights, even though Wilmington’s winters aren’t that bad.
- Change or clean the air filter. Your HVAC filter worked hard all summer, so put in a new one before winter comes. If it’s a reusable filter, you can clean it instead. A new filter will make it easier for your furnace or heat pump to move warm air through your ducts. It also gets rid of dust that has built up, which makes the “burning dust” smell go away when the heat first comes on.
- Check the batteries in your thermostat and detectors. Set your thermostat back to heating mode and change the programming for your winter schedule. If your thermostat uses batteries, now is a great time to change them. The same goes for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, which are also safety devices. Check that the alarms are charged and working for the winter.
- Try out your heater early: Just like with the AC, try out your furnace or heat pump on a cool fall night before winter really sets in. Check to see if the vents are blowing warm air and listen for any strange noises. It’s normal to smell a little burning for a few minutes while the dust burns off the heating elements. But if something isn’t working, like some vents not putting out enough heat or no heat at all, call for service before the weather gets colder. It’s much better to fix heating problems in October or November than to have no heat on a cold January night.
Wrapping Up
By doing these seasonal maintenance tasks, you can avoid unexpected breakdowns and high energy bills during peak season. Air Support Heating & Cooling can help you with any seasonal HVAC maintenance you need, from tune-ups to repairs. We help homeowners in Wilmington, NC, stay comfortable all year long. Our team can do full inspections, maintenance, and any upgrades that need to be made to your HVAC system to get it ready for the coming season. Call Air Support Heating & Cooling today to set up your seasonal HVAC service. You’ll be able to relax knowing that your heating and cooling will work well no matter what the weather is like.