What are some things people can do to maintain their HVAC system?
Probably the two best things a consumer or homeowner can do is replace their air filter. Everyone should know that, but maybe some people don’t realize what a big difference it can make, especially when it gets near 100 degrees. Every little bit counts because air conditioners are not sized to handle that heat. They’re generally for about 95 degrees and less. A good fresh clean air filter is important.
Another thing a lot of people don’t do is clean the grill [of their air filter] off. The grill that holds the filter usually up in the ceiling or on the wall will get a buildup of dust on it. If it’s removable, wash it off. If not, vacuum it. Changing the filter, especially as hot as it is, is really important.
The next thing they should consider doing is allowing the outside unit to breathe. It’s got to have some air flow. A lot of times, people will mow their lawns and get lawn clippings in it. If they take a garden hose and lightly rinse it off, it can help. Shutting the power down and just rinsing off the outside unit [helps, too].
What are the most common things that go wrong?
It depends on the time of year. Toward the end of the year, we’ll see some drain lines clog up. [In the summer,] we see a lot of capacitor failures. Those are caused by higher temperatures. That can happen a lot. It basically helps the fan and engine run, and without it, it’ll quit, and you’ll know it pretty quick this time of year if your unit stops working.
What are some early signs that something is wrong?
People need to listen to their air conditioner units when nothing is wrong so they can get a good baseline of what is normal. And if they hear something that’s not normal, they need to do something about it. Indoor motor and outdoor motor failures will tend to squeak. It’s a sign that troubles are on the way.
Another example is water dripping coming out of the pipe of their house. Not every house has it, but if it’s dripping water, your clog line is getting clogged up. Those are some things that might tell people there are troubles to come. Another thing is it’s taking a long time to cool down. If it's taking a long time to cool down, you know something’s wrong.
Are there different problems in different seasons?
Heating is a different animal than cooling. In the heating season, we have all sorts of different kinds of things that go on, byproducts and buildups in gas furnaces. Electric furnaces either work or they don’t. They don’t have a lot of maintenance parts. The byproducts of the gas will build up a powered substance on the controls and cause it to shut down. It’s not a very serious problem, but it can happen. Another thing that might sound strange is birds build nests in vents or exhaust pipes of furnaces. They build them during the summer time, and when you go to turn it on later in the year, there’s a blockage.
When should someone try to fix a unit themselves, and when should they call a professional?
That’s going to depend on the ability of the person. For the sake of doing it right and the sake of the safety of the homeowner, I couldn’t recommend they attempt to fix their own unit. It can be a little more complicated than some of the simpler things I’ve been talking about, and there’s a possibility that someone gets hurt if they don’t know what they’re doing. I recommend calling someone out to do it for them. That said, if they’re highly mechanical and want to educate themselves because there’s a lot of info out there, if they feel confident or comfortable, then I’m all for them giving it a try on their own. For the average person, they should call a professional.
The other thing, there’s a lot of people who don’t have a checkup done in the spring or the fall. I think it’s money well spent. You can’t head off every single problem, but you can start to see things and prepare people for things. I think it's worthwhile to do it every year or at least every couple years.
Anything else you want people to know?
Other than covering the obvious, I mentioned cleaning the outside unit. It has a nice flat surface on top of it. It’s a great place for people to want to put things. It’s not a good idea. They will put garden hoses [and] potted plants; they’ll put their dog leashes [and] things like that. And I’ve got to say, you need to let that outside unit breathe. You don’t want to stack stuff on top of it. That’s probably one of those things that drives me nuts because it's so obvious. My worst pet peeve is to see the garden hoses on the unit. It’s usually people getting things out of the way when they’re mowing the lawn and end up leaving it there.
AirVantage
2600 South Shore Blvd., Ste. 300, League City
409-354-1234
www.airvantageco.com
