We want to be the first to welcome our snowbird customers back to Southwest Florida! When you first get back to your second home, there are several maintenance steps you should take with your air conditioner in the first week to ensure your HVAC unit is in tip top shape and ready to get you comfortably, and energy efficiently through the season. Because, even though it gets colder here in the fall and winter, you will most likely still use your air conditioner often during the season, and many of our air conditioners are also our heating systems, so maintaining the system is imperative. Although you may not have gone through the summer heat here in Florida over the summer, your house did, and your air conditioner certainly did. These maintenance tips are things you can do yourself, or if you buy our maintenance contract, we will do it for you, and it is worth the value to have a maintenance contract.
Some Key Snowbird HVAC Inspection Tips
- Change out thermostat batteries. Start fresh by switching out the old batteries in your thermostat with new ones.
- Change your air conditioner’s filter. The Summer’s heat and humidity can lead to mildew and mold growth, as well as an accumulation of dirt on your filters, which can spread through the house. When your filters are dirty and clogged, air cannot move through your home effectively. This results in higher energy bills since your system isn’t working efficiently, and it can also cause damage to your HVAC system. So first thing to do when you get to your second home is to change the filter. Then, be sure to change it monthly during your stay.
- Check your thermostat to make sure it’s working well. First, make sure that your thermostat is set to “COOL,” and the fan is set to “AUTO.” Then, set the temperature a few degrees cooler than the current room temperature and wait 3-5 minutes to see if the unit comes back on. If it doesn’t, give us a call.
- Visually inspect your ductwork. You should search your home’s ductwork for any leaks. Here are some important things to check for in your ducts. Make sure there are no tears in the protective coating of the ductwork. Make note of any kinks or flattened areas that you see, as well as exposed insulation. If nothing turns up during your visual inspection but you hear rattling or banging noises, it could indicate loose connections or poor sealing. If you hear undetermined noises, but still can’t see any problems, we suggest you give us a call.
- Inspect the condenser outside. The condenser is the outside component of your air conditioning system, which leaves it vulnerable to the outside elements that can possibly get into it and clog it, such as leaves, dirt, and other debris that can get caught in the condenser fins. The condenser fins are the metallic blades that surround the unit. Yard debris can block the airflow, reducing the unit’s full cooling capability Be sure that shrubs and landscaping are kept at least 2-3 feet away from the condenser to lessen the chance of the build up of debris. You can clean the outside of the condenser and free it from dirt and debris simply by spraying it down with a garden hose. Before doing any maintenance to your condenser, make sure that the power supply is disconnected.
- Check the condensate drain line. While you are outside, check the drain line to make sure it is not blocked in any way by plants, dead lizards, mulch or even just moldy gunk that builds up in wet places.
- Get your air conditioner tuned up. Yearly maintenance of your HVAC unit ensures that it is in good shape and ready to be used for the season. Wayne Martin and Son provides a thorough inspection of your HVAC system, including checking all of its components. We clean your coils, pans and pipes.
When you maintain your system on a yearly basis, you can avoid large, costly AC repairs, because we can fix small issues before they become major ones. So sign up today for a yearly maintenance contract, and if your just arriving here in SWFL for the season, give us a call to inspect your system and keep your HVAC unit working well. 239-462-4068. #airconditioning #SWFLHVAC