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Welcome to our blog at Advance Heating and Cooling! We are excited to share our expertise in the world of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) with you.
As a trusted provider of HVAC services, we understand the importance of maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures throughout the year. Our team of skilled professionals provides top-quality installation, repair, and maintenance services to ensure that your HVAC system operates at its best.
In our blogs, we will cover a wide range of topics related to HVAC systems, including tips for improving energy efficiency, common HVAC issues and how to address them, the latest trends in HVAC technology, and more. We are committed to providing you with helpful information that will assist you in making informed decisions about owning or purchasing an HVAC system.
Our technicians live in the world of HVAC. We’ve sold and serviced hundreds of furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps and we’ve learned a lot of useful information along the way. This blog is our way to pass that knowledge on to you at no charge. If you have an idea for a topic you would like to see us talk about, send us an email.
Our main goal is to help you maintain a comfortable indoor environment and save money on your energy bills. We highly believe that an informed customer is a satisfied customer, and we work hard to give you the knowledge you need to make smart decisions about your HVAC systems.
Thank you for joining us on this journey, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with you.
The vast majority of homeowners rely on their HVAC system, specifically their furnace, to heat their homes throughout the cold winter. After all, this is an efficient way to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature.
However, the increased use of HVAC systems in the winter can often give rise to an increased risk of HVAC problems. More specifically, it can result in specific problems seen more often in the winter due to the frequency of use as well as the nature of use and the season itself. Understanding the common winter HVAC problems is the first step in preventing them.
In this blog post, we’re uncovering all the details about common HVAC system problems homeowners see in the winter as well as providing tips on how to efficiently avoid them.
Do not hesitate to contact us for any of your HVAC needs, including inspection and repairs to prevent common winter HVAC problems. Our experienced team of HVAC technicians is one phone call or email away, so please reach out.
Your HVAC system, specifically the portion of it that heats your home, is vital during the cold winter months.
Here are the top 3 reasons why:
In the winter, the air outside can get quite chilly. While well-insulated houses can help with indoor temperatures, the real powerhouse is the HVAC system, specifically furnaces.
HVAC systems work to maintain a comfortable environment indoors. During the winter, this means heating homes to keep them warm and cozy. Maintaining a comfortable environment is more than just comfort – it also means keeping temperatures at a safe level for occupants so no one will freeze or deal with the negative impacts of being too cold.
An HVAC system that is functioning properly can provide households with increased energy efficiency and, as a result, cost savings. This means the furnaces are only turning on when necessary and not working overtime to maintain consistent temperatures throughout the home.
After all, the furnace is reported to be responsible for as much as half of a home’s annual energy usage. When air filters are cleaned, debris cleared out, and broken parts are replaced, the furnace can use up to 30% less energy.
During the winter, the average person spends significantly more time indoors – perhaps even up to 90% of their time. Thus, indoor air quality is even more important than ever. Thankfully, a well-functioning HVAC system can help improve air quality indoors, keeping occupants safe, comfortable, as well as healthy.
The significant drop in temperatures seen in the winter months can have a significant impact on more than just human comfort levels indoors and outdoors. It can also put additional pressure on many areas in the home, including the heating component of an HVAC system.
Here are details on the most common winter HVAC problems seen today:
Water in your HVAC system is prone to freezing as the outdoor temperature drops and snow builds on the ground outside. The risk of the water freezing rises significantly if the furnace and heating system as a whole are not being used regularly.
Frozen pipes and coils prevent heating systems from functioning properly, resulting in a cold house. Additionally, the frozen water can begin to expand, which puts the affected coil or pipe at risk of bursting and causing an incredibly expensive emergency HVAC repair.
Some HVAC systems may deal with a faulty or broken thermostat in the winter. This makes it difficult for the HVAC system to run properly, causing uneven temperatures throughout the home, as well as airflow problems.
In some instances, this comes down to wiring problems within the thermostat. Regular cleaning and calibrating can help restore function if wiring isn’t the problem – though a thermostat replacement may still be necessary if this doesn’t help either.
Homes that use propane or gas for heating will have a pilot light as part of their heating system. This is how the system is ignited. In some instances, the pilot light is running continuously, but in others the light will only ignite when the heating system starts up. In both cases, however, a malfunctioning pilot light is a common winter HVAC problem.
When the light isn’t working the way it should, the heating system will not generate any heat. A malfunctioning pilot light can be the result of a damaged or dirty sensor. HVAC technicians can help clean the sensors and restore pilot light function.
Dealing with dirty air filters is more than just a common winter HVAC problem – it is simply a common problem seen in HVAC systems. Many individuals forget that they should be cleaning or changing the air filters in their HVAC systems roughly every 30 to 45 days – especially during the cold winter months. Dirty air filters can compromise the function of an HVAC system, causing uneven airflow and therefore, inconsistent heating during the winter.
Carbon monoxide leaks are a risk, especially during the winter months when the furnace should be running more often. A malfunctioning or broken furnace can cause carbon monoxide to build in your home.
Some of the side effects of a carbon monoxide leak in the home include:
In the event of a carbon monoxide leak, you must evacuate your home immediately. Knowing when to do so requires a functioning carbon monoxide detector. However, the best thing is to prevent the leak from occurring, and for that regular furnace maintenance is crucial.
The good news about common winter HVAC problems is that there are many different ways you can avoid them as a homeowner.
Here is the most effective information and tips you need to avoid problems with your HVAC system during the winter:
One of the first things every homeowner should do to avoid the common winter HVAC system problems is conduct a visual inspection. This can help reveal many of the potential issues that they should deal with before winter really sets in. For instance, are the air filters looking dusty? This can mean they need cleaning. A visual inspection can also help reveal if the pilot light is experiencing issues or if the thermostat is broken.
Details from a visual inspection are helpful to provide a licensed HVAC technician during a maintenance appointment.
As mentioned, dirty air filters are a common HVAC system problem in the winter. Thus, it can help to clean and replace air filters regularly. In the winter, this is best done on the more frequent end of the 30 to 45 day range. While many HVAC systems make it fairly simple for homeowners to do on their own, calling a licensed HVAC technician to assist is also an option.
Keeping air filters clean and replacing them when necessary helps improve air flow throughout an HVAC system. Thus, furnaces can function efficiently and maintain comfortable and consistent temperatures all winter long.
Dirty and blocked air vents are another contributing factor to uneven air flow and HVAC inefficiencies in the winter. As such, it is important to clean air vents on a regular basis as well. The frequency at which this should be done can vary, but regular inspections to see the state of the air vents can help.
Your thermostat must be functioning properly to have your HVAC system efficiently maintain the temperature inside your home at a comfortable and consistent level. Thus, it is crucial to perform thermostat maintenance.
Of course, if you encounter a significant issue with its function, or if your thermostat is completely broken, a replacement is necessary. It could be the perfect time to upgrade to a smart thermostat, which can offer increased energy efficiency and cost savings on utility bills.
Many individuals don’t know precisely how to use their thermostat appropriately. With a smart or programmable thermostat, you can make its settings match your needs. For instance, most people can afford to lower their thermostat by a few degrees when they aren’t at home.
A programmable thermostat can be set to automatically start increasing this temperature early enough so your home is back up to where you like it by the time you walk in the door. Making use of functions like this can increase energy efficiency and reduce the strain on your thermostat and HVAC system – prolonging their useful life.
There is often an outdoor component to your HVAC system – so don’t forget to prepare your outdoor HVAC equipment for the winter. This can mean covering the AC unit, clearing debris, maintaining a path through the snow to it, and more. Doing these things can help prevent equipment damage once the winter hits, which alleviates issues you need to deal with when the weather warms up again.
A clean and well-maintained furnace is key if you want to keep your furnace heating your home efficiently and consistently. Furnace cleaning as well as furnace filter maintenance are great ways to help achieve this and avoid many of the common winter HVAC problems.
Scheduling an HVAC maintenance appointment with a licensed technician is an incredibly effective way to prevent the most common winter HVAC problems from arising out of seemingly nowhere.
License HVAC technicians can perform many tasks during a maintenance appointment, including:
Do not hesitate to contact us for any of your HVAC needs, including inspection and repairs to prevent common winter HVAC problems. Our experienced team of HVAC technicians is one phone call or email away, so please reach out.
