Preparing Your HVAC System for Back-to-School Season
During a school year, your children spend a lot of time indoors doing homework, completing assignments, and resting. A working heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is essential for their comfort and ability to focus. Performing back-to-school preparation for your HVAC helps maintain your system and get optimal results.
Benefits of Seasonal Maintenance
Preparing your HVAC for any season, whether it be fall, summer or the new school year is essential. This kind of routine maintenance offers significant benefits, including:
- Reduced energy needs: Well-maintained HVAC units don’t have to work as hard to cool or heat air, meaning they use less energy to perform the same tasks.
- Extended system lifespan: If the device can perform operations more easily, there’s less strain on the unit, ensuring that components last longer.
- Increased overall efficiency: With regular maintenance, your system will be more effective, providing better cooling or heating.
- Prevent costly repairs: By making sure your HVAC unit gets the care it needs, you can prevent costly repairs and reduce the risk of breakdowns or downtime.
- Better air quality: Regular maintenance ensures that your cooling and heating devices have functioning filters and less dust in the vents and ducts, improving your home’s overall air quality.
These are just a few of the manifold benefits of performing HVAC maintenance before the fall school season.
How to Prepare Your HVAC System for the Fall
You can complete several tasks to prepare your HVAC for the coming school year. Some are easy, DIY tasks, while others require professional assistance. These include the following:
Adjusting Your Thermostat
Most modern homes have a programmable thermostat, which makes it easy to maintain the ideal temperature at any time of day or night. Using one of these devices eliminates the need for consistent manual temperature adjustments. Plus, a programmable thermostat lowers power consumption significantly.
Your schedule and routine change during different times of the year. Set your thermostat to match your new schedule when preparing for the back-to-school season. As a general rule of thumb, consider the following:
- Setting the thermostat to activate the HVAC a little before everyone arrives home will lower power consumption.
- Your unit will expend less effort cooling the home when fewer people are in it, so you may not need to set it as high or low as usual.
Don’t have a Wi-Fi or programmable thermostat yet? We can help!
Clear Off the Outdoor Unit
Vegetation often undergoes a significant growth spurt during the warm months. As part of your back-to-school preparation, cut back and manage any vegetation around the HVAC’s outdoor unit. This essential step ensures that the unit functions optimally and prevents leaves and other vegetative debris from getting caught in the system.
If you notice that the unit is dirty and needs cleaning, schedule an appointment with an HVAC technician who has the necessary knowledge and equipment to accomplish the task without damaging sensitive components.
Schedule a Professional Tuneup
One of the best HVAC fall tips we can give you is to schedule a professional HVAC tuneup before school starts. These seasonal maintenance checks ensure that the system maintains optimal efficiency and performance.
When performing a tuneup, the HVAC technician will usually:
- Clean the unit.
- Replace air filters.
- Identify mechanical issues.
While performing this maintenance, the technician will recommend any necessary repairs or add-ons. Since they typically have everything needed to complete repairs, they can often finish the job as soon as you approve the work.
Filter Changes and Ductwork Cleaning
As time passes, even the cleanest home’s HVAC will pick up dust and debris, leading to clogged air filters and dirty ductwork. Whether you live in an area with a high airborne dust count or your family treads a lot of dust into your home, some dust particles will enter your HVAC’s ductwork.
Numerous problems may arise as a result of dirty ductwork and air filters, including:
- Your system has to work harder to accomplish the same result.
- The air quality in your home may diminish.
- You may notice higher energy consumption and lower component lifespans.
To prevent these issues, scheduling regular cleaning is vital. In addition to having your air filter replaced before the back-to-school rush, you should also replace it monthly or bimonthly to ensure consistent performance.
Never try to clean your air conditioning unit or ductwork yourself. Any HVAC system has sensitive components that you may damage unintentionally.
Schedule Any Needed Repairs
Putting off repairs can lead to future issues and potential system breakdowns. If you notice these signs, it may be time to schedule a service call:
- Rattling, banging, or squealing noises
- Rooms that are too hot or too cold
- Bad smells coming from your vents
- Loss of airflow
- Excess dust
- HVAC system cycling on and off frequently
Blocked ducts, dirty filters, faulty components, or leaking refrigerant are possible causes for some of these issues. Prioritize any necessary repairs when preparing for the new school year or fall. Doing so will save you time, money, and potential downtime later.
Consider Upgrading Your Existing HVAC
Fall is often an excellent time to consider upgrading your HVAC system.
The temperatures are mild enough that it won’t be a significant inconvenience, and your kids will be at school anyway. Even if the installation company has to disconnect the electricity for a while, it won’t bother you as much as when everyone is home.
Another advantage of upgrading during a milder season is that it allows you more time to search for a well-priced alternative. If you have an older system, proactively replacing it with a newer one can prevent losing your heating or cooling capabilities during more extreme temperatures.
Contemplate Installing a Whole-House Purification System
Cold, flu, and other illnesses become more common as the temperatures plummet. This is the ideal time to consider air purification and improvement devices. Installing a whole-home air purification system can help eliminate undesirable bacteria and viruses.
From electronic filtration to ultraviolet options and even high-grade HEPA filters, these devices all work with your HVAC system to provide the best possible air quality. Most of these systems are compatible with existing HVAC devices, eliminating the need for upgrades or replacements.
These systems may offer significant benefits, showing up to 99% particle removal efficiency.
Prepare Your HVAC for Back-to-School Season With Meeks Heating & Air
Now that we’ve shared some top tips and discussed how to prepare your HVAC unit for the fall, you understand the importance of seasonal maintenance. Take the hassle out of HVAC maintenance — allow us to inspect and maintain your system, ensuring it works optimally for months to come.
