As the winter is upon us, it’s a good time of year to go through a checklist to get your winter HVAC ready for the chilly months ahead. The heating system will be blowing on overdrive to warm your company in the early morning each day. It’s best to hire an HVAC technician to come in and take a look at your system, ensuring that your winter HVAC is ready to give you bang for your buck.
Many people go throughout the winter, paying colossal energy bills but are still freezing inside their business. What is happening? If your system is more than 10-years old, it may be working at only 50% efficiency. All that money is going into an old winter HVAC system that doesn’t even heat your building. A professional can take a look and decide if it is time to upgrade the system.
FILTER INSPECTION
The first thing that an HVAC expert will check is the air filter. Over time, air filters can get clogged with dust and debris from the air. They need to be changed out regularly in order for the heating and cooling system to blow air freely, without any obstacles in the way. Sometimes you can hear when the filters are getting clogged. The air will sound louder than usual when the winter HVAC system turns on each time.
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
When you invest in regular HVAC maintenance, your money is not going to waste. The worst possible situation would be a broken down winter HVAC system that takes days to repair as employees and customers are freezing inside. A professional will check the heat pumps, making sure they are fully working. They will also ensure that indoor air quality stays healthy and dust-free. With sicknesses going around in the winter, especially Covid-19, an HVAC expert will be sure the air is being adequately circulated and filtered to prevent illness from spreading.
When you invest in maintenance, your money will come back to you each month in the form of a smaller energy bill. Your winter HVAC system will be working to the best of its ability after being checked out and prepared for the winter months.
Here are some other things you can do at the beginning of the season to maintain your winter HVAC system. These are all things that an HVAC expert will quickly check and take care of for you.
- Calibrate Thermostats: Thermostat readings can drift after being turned off for a whole season. Make sure all of your systems are in sync and calibrated to the correct temperature.
- Set Up Automatic Heating Schedules: You can set up automated schedules so that your system isn’t running full blast when no one is in the building. You can set the heat to a lower temperature at night, making sure you never turn it off entirely and freeze the pipes. And then, about an hour before people are expected to come into the building, turn the heat up to a comfortable temperature.
- Remove Debris Near the Outdoor Unit: Check the outdoor unit to be sure that there is no debris or branches blocking the unit. You don’t want anything dropping into the fan and breaking the unit.
- Clean Air Vents: The outside of the vents can get dusty and often forgotten. Take time to get a ladder and clean the outside of the vents. This will cut down on dust blowing through the air and also give your business a cleaner look.
- Check Maintenance on Cooling System: Now that your cooling system isn’t working on overdrive, you can ask for a maintenance check on the air conditioning to prepare it for a season on standby. You may think that you have plenty of time to do this, but air conditioners should have maintenance checks twice per year. You will want to be sure it is properly working when it gets hot again.
- Inspect Plumbing: Look for pipes that could be susceptible to freezing in the cold temperatures and be sure there aren’t any leaks or exposure that would lead to pipes bursting. Your winter HVAC system could have trouble in the freezing weather if you neglect these small details. Check for mold and mildew around pipes and do what is needed to eliminate that.
- Relative Humidity: During the winter, when the heat is continuously blowing indoors, people tend to get dry skin and sometimes sore throats from breathing the dry air. It may be sensible to invest in a humidifier to offset the dryness of the blowing heat. The goal is to create an environment that is perfectly comfortable for all of the people inside. Also, when relative humidity is between 40-60% it is ideal to minimize the transport of airborne pathogens for cold/flu season and amidst a pandemic.
If you are overwhelmed by the list of things you need to do to maintain your HVAC system, then hire a professional who knows what they are doing. These routine maintenance checks are essential, and an HVAC expert knows exactly what to look for and has the equipment to get the job done efficiently.
DUCT INSPECTION AND CLEANING
When was the last time your ducts were cleaned? Over time, dust builds up inside the ducts. If you were to peek inside, you would see how the build-up can decrease proper airflow. When an HVAC professional cleans out all the ducts, then the warm air can flow freely through the air vents and into your workspace. This will ensure that you’re not paying extra money to pump air that is working its way through obstacles and blowing dust out into the air that people breathe.
A proper duct cleaning is something to leave to a professional who has the appropriate equipment to clean the ducts. You can ask for before and after pictures so that you can see how vital this process is for the proper functioning of your winter HVAC system.
An HVAC professional will also inspect the ducts for any leaks. If there are parts of your building that are not getting as warm as the other areas, this could be due to leaks in the ducts. When properly fixed, the air will get to all of the areas of the business that are needed. Checking up on the vents and hiring an HVAC professional for ductwork is not something you want to skip.
HOW AIRLOGIX CAN HELP
It can be a difficult decision to make to put money into a winter HVAC system that seems to be working perfectly well. When you think about efficiency and the money you can save from energy bills when you make sure your system is working efficiently, then it doesn’t seem like wasted money at all. Contacting an expert in winter HVAC systems will pay off in the end. It is best to budget the money away and think of it as an investment into avoiding future emergency calls to the HVAC repairman.
It may be time for your winter HVAC to be prepared for heating during the cold weather. Our experts at AirLogix can be sure that your system is ready to work all winter efficiently. We can make sure your ducts are clean and clear. We can go through the whole winter checklist, even helping you decide if it’s time for a more cost-effective system or not. When you contact us, you are sure to get top priority treatment. There is never a question that is not worth asking, and our team will be prepared to answer any of your concerns. Visit the website now to get an estimate specific to your business.
Bethany Elfaham spearheads AirLogix, a company distinguished for its advanced commercial HVAC/R services. Bethany’s leadership and expertise in mechanical systems have propelled AirLogix to the forefront of HVAC innovations, offering energy-efficient and reliable solutions to businesses. Her focus on sustainable practices and customer-centric service ensures that AirLogix remains a leader in enhancing indoor air quality and operational efficiency for its clients.