When preparing your home for a seasonal change, it’s easy to focus on the routine tasks that you are most familiar with, like changing your air filter, resetting your thermostat, or scheduling bi-annual maintenance with Kasper Mechanical’s Customer Care Club. While these tasks are both great places to start, there are a few other lesser-known prep items that you should add to your winter checklist. We’ve assembled the perfect to-do list for your home so that when winter comes, you won’t be left out in the cold.
Consult our team at Kasper Mechanical to evaluate which seasonal tasks are right for your HVAC system.
Inspecting Your Furnace or Heat Pump:
The first step to your winter maintenance is ensuring that the equipment your house uses for heat is working properly and is well-equipped to sustain your home through the cold months. Whether you have a furnace or a heat pump, Kasper Mechanical’s experts know just how to help.
Coil Cleaning:
One of the most essential parts to your HVAC system is the coils that transfer air through your AC unit or heat pump. These coils absorb warm air and work in tandem with your refrigerant to either cool or warm the air it’s pulling into your home. When unwanted debris or grime build up in those coils, it reduces the efficiency of your heat pump, obstructing the warm airflow from reaching the inside of your home.
Not only will a blocked coil result in extra HVAC repair costs, but it can also increase your electricity bill up to 30%. To clean your HVAC’s coils, it requires a professional hand to pry open the HVAC system and remove the debris. The inner workings of your HVAC system can be complicated and delicate, and as HVAC experts, Kasper Mechanical would love to take the job off your hands.
Recharge Refrigerant:
Your HVAC’s refrigerant is a chemical that works in tandem with the coils to absorb and release heat into your home. Without a healthy dose of refrigerant in your system, your home has no way of receiving cool or warm air. When preparing for the winter, it’s important to have your HVAC technician check the refrigerant levels and ensure there’s no leaks. The last thing you want is for your heat pump to bow under pressure during the winter, so schedule your preventative maintenance checkup now before it gets too cold.
Checking Dampers:
Dampers are an internal piece of your HVAC system that redirects the air flow in your home to specific rooms in your house. These are responsible for making rooms like your family room or your bedroom feel warm and cozy during the winter months. When the dampers aren’t working properly, it can cause polluted air to enter the air flow of your home, exacerbating allergies or reducing your air quality. When checking the dampers, your technician will look to see if they are transmitting safe levels of outdoor air, if the doors cycle open and closed properly, and if they are clean.
As a member of Kasper Mechanical’s Customer Care Club, these seasonal prep items are a complimentary service we include with each of our seasonal check–ups. We know you already have a long prep list for your home this holiday season, so let us take care of the tasks we do best. When we come to your home for a scheduled maintenance appointment, you are guaranteed to feel confident that our team has set up your home for success this winter. Contact us at 540-300-7917 to revitalize your HVAC system this winter.