The following contribution is from another author.
With the festive season fast approaching, it is time for every homeowner to ensure that their home is in top condition for the season’s chills. One of the main areas of concern for almost every homeowner should be the HVAC system around this time of year. That’s because the cold of the winter season demands a lot from the HVAC system. Unfortunately, more often than not, the cold weather can become a significant threat to the durability and functionality of your HVAC, which could affect how you spend your holidays. The last thing you want is your system to let you down during the cold weather. So, if you want your HVAC system to function properly throughout the cold season, here are some ways to ensure that happens.
Evaluate your heating system
Before the cold season becomes a little unbearable, take the time to evaluate your heating system to ensure that everything is in perfect working condition. If you have no idea how to go about it, you can always call professionals to schedule a tune-up and conduct maintenance checks. So, if you’re planning to spend the holidays away from home, be sure to contact the experts before you leave.
An HVAC professional can also check your air conditioning system for any issues. For example, if you’ve been spending a lot on furnace repairs, a professional will be able to tell if you need a furnace replacement.
Keep the vents open
Whenever you’re decorating your home in preparation for the holidays, always ensure that you leave ample open space around your vent. When you place things like furniture and Christmas decoration pieces too close to the vent, pieces of ornament and other small debris can find their way into the vents and affect the proper functioning of your HVAC. All these can cause improper ventilation, which will, in turn, increase your bills.
The less space your vents have, the more likely that they’ll clog up pretty quickly. A clogged-up vent means that your home will receive poor ventilation.
Don’t cover your thermostat
Your vents are not the only things you need to leave open, as you should take care not to cover your thermostat also. You might be tempted to hang some holiday decor on your thermostat or even cover it partially with your decorations, but that’s a big no. Whenever you hide your thermostat, you make it challenging to read the room’s temperature correctly. That also means that your home’s heating system will not be able to do its job correctly. So, it’s best to keep all decorations as far away from your thermostat as possible.
Inspect your electrical system
If your holiday decorations come with lights that require a power supply, be sure to inspect your electrical system before using any such decoration. That is especially important if you won’t be spending a lot of time at home. To be on the safe side, you can invest in a power surge protector before you use any of these decorations. This way, you can prevent any potential spike that could cause an outage and affect your HVAC system.
Be careful with flammable items
Many holiday decoration pieces are made of highly flammable materials, especially paper and plastic. That said, the closer these materials are to your radiators and furnaces, the greater the risk of them becoming a fire hazard. So, whenever you’re hanging any flammable decorative piece in your home, be sure to keep it far away from any heating element, especially from lighted candles, fireplaces, and any other naked fire source. Fire will not only destroy your HVAC system but could also bring down your entire building.
Check your outdoor unit
Even though almost every outdoor unit is built to withstand the harsh winter elements, it is vital to inspect yours and ensure that it gets the proper maintenance and care it needs to work correctly. Whenever you inspect your unit, check every component for possible icing and eliminate any debris building up around or near the components.
Check the air quality
Always ensure that you clean your air filters regularly to provide better air quality during the holidays. If you’re planning to spend the entire holiday at home, you need to make sure that you and your family breathe clean air free of any debris or particles. One of the best ways to improve indoor air quality is to clean out your air filters or change them regularly.
