Serving Milford, MA & the 
Your HVAC system is responsible for keeping you and your family safe and comfortable throughout the changing seasons. To ensure that it can do its job appropriately, your system will need necessary maintenance. Knowing what type of maintenance and when it needs to be done is the key to ensuring optimal comfort year-round.
Professional Spring and Fall Maintenance
There are two main times throughout the year that you’ll need to be concerned with scheduling professional maintenance service. Your air conditioning system should receive maintenance in the early spring months. Your heating system should get maintenance in the early fall months. Schedule this service before you need to rely on your system daily so that you have adequate time to address any potential problems that may come up with your system during its maintenance service.
Homeowner Maintenance Tasks
You as a homeowner can tackle many routine maintenance tasks to ensure that your systems are working at peak condition. We’re going to start by sharing the tasks you’ll need to do both in the spring for your air conditioning system and in the fall for your heating system.
Check Air Vents For Obstructions
For your forced-air heating or cooling system to function optimally, all the air vents throughout your home must be fully open. Furthermore, they can’t be obstructed by any objects that could potentially restrict the vent’s airflow. This seasonal maintenance task requires you to walk around to each room in your home. Check to ensure that both the supply and return vents are open and clear of any obstructions, like furniture or plants.
Program Your Thermostat
Before your HVAC system needs to be running around the clock, it’s time to program in your settings. Be sure to take advantage of energy savings by lowering your system’s usage while no one is at home. If you don’t already have a smart thermostat, consider getting one. From the convenience of your mobile device, you can alter the settings on your thermostat from anywhere. You can even get reminders about filter changes, so your HVAC system is always operating at peak efficiency.
Check For Air Leaks
As the seasons change, your exterior walls can develop air leaks. These are most common around your doors, windows, light switches, and outlets. Hold your hand up to these areas to see if you notice a temperature difference. If you do, you’ll want to use weatherstripping, caulking, or foam inserts to seal off these leaks.
Test Run Your System
You never want to wait until temperatures hit extremes to start running your HVAC system. Rather, as part of your seasonal maintenance, you’ll want to give it a test run. Be sure to set the temperature at least five degrees from the current ambient temperature on your thermostat. When your system kicks on, walk around to every supply vent in your home to ensure adequate hot or cold air is coming out of it.
Monthly Filter Inspections
Apart from the seasonal maintenance tasks, regularly check your HVAC air filter each month. You’ll want to remove it from the filter housing and hold it up to a light source. If the filter is still in good condition, you’ll be able to see through it. Once it has reached the end of its lifespan, you’ll no longer be able to see through the filter.
Most homeowners find that they’ll need to replace their system’s air filter every two to three months. However, factors like how many pets you have, the size of your family, your cleaning frequency, and many more will play a large role in how often you’ll need to replace your system’s filter. Keep spare filters on hand so you can replace a dirty filter right away.
Consider Duct Cleaning Services
Over time, your blower fan can pull excessive airborne particles into your ducting. While your filter can remove some of these particles, others get stuck, building up inside your ducting. Getting your ducting cleaned is a great way to remove this stuck-on debris. It will also help enhance your indoor air quality and allow your HVAC system to operate more efficiently.
Spring AC System Maintenance Tasks
Some necessary tasks you’ll want to complete as a homeowner in the spring ensure that your air conditioning system is adequately prepped to take on the long, hot summer ahead.
Clear Your Condenser Unit
The outdoor condenser unit plays a pivotal role in dispersing heat from your air conditioning system to the outdoors. If the unit is restricted in any way, it can greatly reduce the overall ability of your condenser unit to disperse that heat. You’ll want to take any cover off your outdoor unit.
Trim back any shrubbery or low-hanging trees that are within a three-foot radius of the unit. Remove any stuck-on debris, like leaves or twigs. If you notice that any of the metal fins are bent, use a screwdriver to simply bend them back to a straight position. You should be checking your outdoor condenser unit after every major storm to ensure that there’s no debris stuck up against it.
Fall Heating System Maintenance Tasks
In the fall months, there are various maintenance tasks you’ll want to complete to ensure your heating system is ready for the cold winter months ahead.
Cover Outdoor AC Condenser Unit
Outdoor condenser units are exposed when the worst of the wintertime weather comes through. While they are built with a weather-resistant shell, they’re still susceptible to internal corrosion when excess moisture gets stuck inside your unit. To better protect it during the colder winter months, consider installing a cover over your AC condenser unit. Ideally, your cover will be integrated with mesh to allow it to breathe while still protecting it from the worst weather events.
Test Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
If your heating system burns fuel, then it will create harmful exhaust fumes that are vented to the outdoors. Unfortunately, if your system experiences a problem, some of those exhaust fumes can build up inside your home. This can be dangerous for your family to breathe in. Having well-functioning carbon monoxide and smoke detectors is a must for everyone’s safety. You’ll want to put in fresh batteries and test all your detectors to ensure that they’re working properly. Make sure you have both units on each level of your home and outside each bedroom.
Order Fuel
Many heating systems rely on heating oil and propane supplied via an on-site storage tank. If you store your fuel on-site, you’ll need to place your order or set up your automatic delivery service so your fuel is on-site when your heating system needs it.
Expert HVAC Maintenance Service
Tingley Home Services offers expert HVAC maintenance service for the entire Milford, MA community. We’ll also help with all your heating, cooling, electrical, mini-split, EV charging station, and generator needs. Call our office today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our highly knowledgeable HVAC technicians.
