Don’t look now, but September is here. And winter isn’t too far behind! Time to fold up the summer lawn chairs and start getting ready for football and the holidays.
It’s also time to start drawing down your summer HVAC system and begin prepping your furnace for its big job ahead. Seasonal cleaning and maintenance of your HVAC system are essential to keeping your family comfortable all year long. And while you may have to change the filters a few times throughout the year, spring and fall are usually the best times to perform more thorough cleaning and maintenance. Doing so will ensure that your system is working well as you move into summer and winter, the seasons when you rely on your HVAC system the most.
Here are 6 things you should do this September to wrap up summer and prepare for winter.
1. Change the air filter.
Give your furnace a fresh start. Even though you may still be running the AC here and there while the dog days of summer stick around, it’s a good idea to pop in a new, fresh filter. A dirty filter restricts airflow, making your system work harder and reducing its efficiency.
2. Clear the area.
During the summer, weeds and other foliage may have grown around the unit. Clearing this away from the area along with any grass clipping, leaves or twigs is a good idea. This debris can attract bugs or ants or other critters looking to hunker down in the cooler weather. If you are still using your AC during the warmer days, the debris could be a fire hazard. Clearing the area will keep you safe. Clean around the air conditioning unit.
3. Adjust your thermostat.
With the kids back at school, the house may now be empty all day, and evenings tend to get a bit cooler. It usually isn’t necessary to keep the same settings you had in July. Set the temperatures to comfortable settings that make sense with the outside temps at different times of the day. You don’t need to cool a house when no one is in it all day.
4. Get a professional end-of-season AC tune-up.
While you can do a lot on your own to wind down your AC system, it’s a good idea to have a professional HVAC technician out to preop the unit for winter. This is especially important if you neglected to get a tune-up before summer started. A tech can also make sure nothing is leaking and discourage mildew from forming or stop a small problem before it becomes a large problem.
5. Check the furnace and ductwork.
Before you turn your furnace on for the winter, it’s a good idea to have your HVAC system and ductwork checked by a professional. At Progressive Air, our certified technicians will make sure your system is running smoothly, and that your ductwork is free of blockages. If your system is older, you remodeled, added on, or you bought a new home, it may be a good idea to have a professional HVAC tech come and evaluate whether you need an updated system to ensure that you have proper long-term heating and ventilation for your home.
6. Invest in a programmable thermostat.
Autumn’s temperatures can fluctuate unpredictably. You might wake up to a chilly morning and discover heat and humidity have set in by lunchtime. Since weather patterns are so variable in the fall, they force you and your HVAC to adapt to a wide range of temperatures. If your home has an older, traditional-style thermostat, fall is an excellent time to consider upgrading to a new, modern model. You can program your brand-new thermostat to have full control over the heating and cooling of your home, and many brands feature compatible smartphone apps you can use to change your home’s temperature from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. If you leave for work and realize it’s a much warmer day than the weather forecast prepared you for, no problem – adjust your settings, and save money, with the touch of a fingertip!
Contact us now to schedule a fall furnace tune-up!
Now is the time to get your furnace ready for the long winter ahead – and winter tends to be pretty darn long. A professional tune-up by Progressive Air will make sure the unit is clean and running properly. A skilled technician will calibrate the thermostat, inspect the system and clean it, test the airflow, measure the motor voltages and tighten any electrical connections. A tune-up will ensure the furnace runs properly and safely and get your HVAC on track for winter. Contact us!
