Is your heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system ready for spring? Spring typically brings milder weather than other seasons of the year. When spring rolls around, however, you’ll probably stop using your furnace and start using your air conditioning system. Failure to prepare your HVAC system for this transition could result in poor performance or worse.
Clean the Condenser Unit
You can prepare your HVAC system for spring by cleaning the condenser unit. Condenser units can become dirty during the winter. They can attract leaves, pine straw and other forms of debris. With a dirty condenser unit, your air conditioning system may perform poorly.
The condenser unit is the large outdoor-installed box that houses your air conditioning system’s condenser coil, compressor and compressor fan. They aren’t sealed. Rather, condenser units are designed to be partially open so that heat can escape them. With their partially open design, they can become dirty, which is why it’s a good idea to clean the condenser unit.
Replace the Air Filter
If it’s been several months or longer since you replaced your HVAC system’s air filter, you should consider changing it. Whether you’re running the air conditioning system or the furnace, your HVAC system will pull air through the filter. The air filter’s job is to clean the air by removing particulate matter from it.
Air filters, though, don’t last forever. Most homeowners will need to replace their HVAC system’s air filter once every 30 to 90 days. Otherwise, they may experience increased indoor pollution and/or restricted airflow that hinders their HVAC system’s performance.
Open Air Vents
To prepare your HVAC system for spring, make sure all of the air vents are open. Closed air vents can create cooling problems. If all of the supply air vents in a room are closed, the room won’t receive any conditioned air. As a result, it will feel warmer than the rest of the rooms in your home.
Closed return air vents can affect the comfort of your entire home. Return air vents are those that supply your air conditioning system with air. Without a steady supply of air, your air conditioning system won’t be able to remove heat and, thus, cool your home.
Run the AC
Running the air conditioning system will better prepare your HVAC system for spring. Most homeowners, of course, rarely or never run their air conditioning system during the winter. It’s not until spring when they begin to use it.
Instead of waiting until spring, go ahead and turn on your air conditioning system. Running your air conditioning system for a short period will allow you to test it.
