If you live anywhere near the hot, muggy climates of the south, you can appreciate the unwavering need for a place of respite during the sweltering heat of summer. Likely, you have an HVAC unit in your home or office, and you may even take its cooling capabilities for granted. If the unfortunate event should occur that your HVAC unit breaks down, you may feel desperate to find a way to get it fixed quickly and may never let it break again.
There are a few regular maintenance methods to ensure your HVAC unit is well kept and always in working order, but one of the biggest things you can do to keep it in prime condition is to keep it cleaned, regularly. Of course, if you aren’t an HVAC expert, you may not know all there is to know about cleaning your unit. That’s why we want to provide you with a few HVAC cleaning tips. If you own or benefit from an HVAC in Austin, TX, you’ll reap the rewards of a smoothly running HVAC unit all during the hot summer heat.
How Often Should It Be Cleaned?
To keep a well-maintained HVAC unit and catch any minor issues before they become major, your unit should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. Ideally, though, your heating should be maintained in the fall and your AC in the spring. This will help you mitigate any big issues and fix them before peak heating/cooling season hits and all of the HVAC services are booked solid. long story short, once a year should be the minimum, but regular cleaning as things get dirty is a great idea.
How Do I Keep My HVAC Clean?
We’ve discussed that you need to provide your HVAC unit with regular maintenance and cleaning, but what type of things are involved in that regular maintenance? How do you keep it clean? Well, it involves more than just the unit itself. You should focus on keeping the whole HVAC system in top shape to allow it to function at its highest level. This includes a few different areas.
- Regularly Change Air Filters (every 90 days)
- Keep Air Vents Open and Clean
- Keep Your Home Dust-Free
- Clean the Ducts As Needed, Once/Yr Minimum
- Spray the Outdoor Unit With Water
- Check Outdoor Unit for Damage
- Clean the Coils Regularly With Water
Other Tips
Besides keeping your unit clean, there are some other regular maintenance things that can keep your unit running smoothly without major problems.
- Check Your Thermostat Battery
- Test Your Heating and Cooling Before Peak Season
- Keep Outdoor Unit Clear Of Debris (clean any overhanging trees, sweep around the unit, remove any debris from the fan cage)
- Clean and Straighten the Fins for Optimal Airflow
- Clean the Indoor Coils
- Clean the Evaporator Drain
All of these things are great ways to maintain your HVAC system and ensure you’ll have a fully functioning unit that keeps you cool (and warm) for years to come. Hopefully, you’ll also prevent any big disruptions in use because of a problem. These systems are essential to keeping us comfortable in the hot summer, so you won’t regret the time you take to care for and clean your unit.
