Should HVAC Maintenance be on Your Back-to-School List?

As hard as your air conditioner has worked all summer, it’s usually a good idea to schedule HVAC maintenance as the season starts to wind down. Deep cleaning and professional maintenance will help you finish out the cooling season efficiently and dependably.

Adjusting the Thermostat

If you use a programmable thermostat, reset it to match the school schedules for your kids. If you’re gone all day, adjust it to match the time the kids return from school in the afternoon. You can set it half an hour ahead to give the HVAC system time to cool the house down comfortably.

Maintaining the System

Check the air filter and change it if necessary. A clean air filter improves air quality, cuts energy costs and the wear and tear on your equipment. Check it monthly when the equipment is working routinely.

Clean the area around the outdoor condenser. Remove anything within two feet of the sides of the condenser to promote good air flow through it. Check the condition of the coils. If they’re dirty, hose them off gently.

Call in a Pro

Your cooling system has probably been running nonstop since May, and probably needs HVAC maintenance to finish the cooling season and be ready for heating. An HVAC pro will:

• Clean and adjust all the parts to bring your system back to its original condition as much as possible.
• Check the refrigerant pressure to verify that it’s adequate. If it’s too low, the technician will look for leaks and add more.
• Test the airflow through the air handler and measure the temperature drop.
• Inspect and clean all the electrical components and apply nonconductive lubricants.
• Lubricate the motors, if required, and clean the fan blades.

Taking care of HVAC maintenance at summer’s end helps you save money and assures your system is ready to go for fall. To schedule your visit, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions, providing HVAC services for Orlando-area homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).