3 HVAC Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Most homeowners in the Waco area are starting to get ready for winter now that fall has arrived. It’s time to ensure your home is prepared for colder weather, including your HVAC system. These three HVAC tips will help make sure your heating system is ready for winter and that you stay comfortable all season long.
1 – Maintain and Fix Your Heating System
As the weather starts to cool off, the most importance of these HVAC maintenance tips is to make sure your furnace, heat pump, or boiler heating system is in good working order. A simple professional HVAC system tune-up can help to prevent problems down the line, and it’s also a good opportunity to catch any repairs that may be needed.
In addition, if your HVAC unit is starting to show its age, it may be time to replace it with a newer model. Today’s HVAC systems are much more energy efficient than older models, so you can save money on your heating bills all winter long. So don’t wait until the first cold snap hits – get your heating unit ready for winter today.
2 – Seal Your Ducts
As winter approaches, many homeowners start thinking about preparing their homes for the colder months and making sure that their HVAC system will be able to provide efficient heat throughout the season. One way to do this is to seal any duct leaks. Ducts are responsible for carrying heated air from your furnace or heat pump to the different rooms in your house. However, over time, these ducts can develop leaks. These leaks not only cause your heating system to run less efficiently, but they can also let cold air into your home, making it harder to keep warm.
Professional duct sealing services can help to address these issues by sealing any leaks in your ductwork. In addition to sealing your ducts, you should also perform air sealing on any other air leaks throughout your house. Sealing your ducts and air leaks can help you to keep your home warmer during heating season and keep your HVAC efficiency at peak performance.
3 – Get Your Humidifier Ready
Winter can be tough on your skin, sinuses, and throat. The air outside is cold and dry, which results in drier air inside the home. You can control the level of humidity in your home with a whole-home humidifier, which adds moisture to the air in your home. These systems are ideal for people who suffer from allergies or respiratory conditions.
There are three types of whole-home humidifiers – steam, bypass, and fan-powered. A steam humidifier heats the water until it turns into steam and then blows the steam into your ductwork and out into your home through the vents. Fan-powered and bypass humidifiers do not heat the water – they use a wick or humidifier pad to draw water from the tank. Air blows over the wet wick as heated air circulates, carrying moisture into your ductwork and out into your home. A fan-powered whole-home humidifier uses its own dedicated fan, while a bypass unit relies on the help of the HVAC system’s fan to circulate air through the humidifier.
It’s important to take some steps to prepare your humidifier for winter before you turn it on.
- First, clean the unit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This will remove any dirt or buildup that could cause problems.
- The humidifier pad in fan-powered and bypass models needs to be changed at least once per year.
- Check the water lines that refill the unit to ensure there are no leaks.
- Run the humidifier for a few minutes to test it out and make sure everything is working properly.
Get Help with These HVAC Tips
Winter is coming, and with it, the cold weather. Make sure your home is ready for winter by following these three HVAC tips. Your HVAC system runs constantly throughout the season to keep your home warm. A bad winter storm can quickly turn from uncomfortable, to unsafe if your heating system fails because its overworked. Trust the pros at Evergreen Heating and Cooling to ensure your home is ready for winter!
It’s never too late to schedule your preventative maintenance appointment. With proper maintenance is done by an experienced HVAC technician, your system will run reliably even on the coldest of days. Maintenance can help lower your energy bill and help your system last longer. Schedule your furnace or heat pump tune-up with Evergreen today.
Contact Evergreen Heating and Cooling Today!
If you are ready to take your home’s winter preparedness to the next level, contact Evergreen Heating and Cooling today to schedule heating system services, duct sealing, or whole home humidifier installation to ensure your home stays warm all winter.