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5 Ways to Keep Your HVAC Running Strong

Air Filters

HVAC Air Filter

People spend thousands of dollars every year replacing their HVAC systems, and more often than not, the damage to their current system was preventable. By taking steps to ensure the health of your current HVAC system, you could potentially save you and your family a great deal of money. Most of these tips are simple, and don’t take very much time, so if you can implement them into your monthly routine, you’ll certainly have a strong HVAC system for a while longer.

 

Replace Your Dirty Filters Regularly

Everyone has replaced their air filters before, but most people don’t do it until they notice a dip in the effectiveness of their HVAC system. That mindset towards filter replacement can be extremely detrimental to your system. All air filters are labeled with their window of effectiveness, with industry standard being about 90 days, and if you continue to use them past that point you could be forcing your system to work around 20% harder, which costs you money and causes parts to wear quickly.

Clean Air Vents & Air Ducts

Much like air filters, when air vents and ducts become clogged with dust particles or other obstructions, they force your HVAC system to work exponentially harder. A simple periodic cleaning, from either yourself or a professional, will ensure that your system is clean and clear, and running efficiently. Also, make sure you don’t have any curtains or furniture blocking an internal vent or duct. This dramatically reduces their effectiveness. As we mentioned, the harder a system has to work, the fast parts will break down. This isn’t a standard service for most HVAC service companies, and we’d be happy to make you a recommendation to a trusted company who specializes in this sort of cleaning.

HVAC Air Duct

Clean & Shade Outdoor Units

The outdoor unit of your HVAC system has the appearance of a hearty piece of machinery, but in reality, it must be treated delicately in order to make sure your system maintains peak performance. In general, this unit is the costliest element of the system. First things first, make sure that there isn’t a lot of debris or trash around your unit. Outdoor units tend to be a magnet for garbage blowing in the wind. Once you’ve cleared the area surrounding the unit, it’s a good idea to purchase or build a shade for it. There are a lot of moving parts inside an outdoor unit, and temperatures can get very high, so steps must be taken to make sure the unit doesn’t overheat, especially during the summer. There are some commercially-available HVAC shades, or you could assemble one yourself without much difficulty. This is a one-time purchase that can save you tremendous wear & tear.

 

Use a Programmable Thermostat

Now more common than they’ve ever been, programmable thermostats are purpose-built to keep your home as energy efficient as possible. In terms of HVAC health, it means that your system will not be overtaxed by continuing to run when it doesn’t need to. That reduction in the wear & tear of your HVAC system will help it to last far longer than with an old school thermostat system.

 

Schedule Annual Tune-Ups

Most people don’t call us at Gentry Air Conditioning until their system has stopped working. HVAC replacement is a huge cost for most consumers, and one key recommendation to prevent an all-out replacement is to invest in annual check-ups. By checking in on your system, and making necessary small fixes, we can work to avoid an all-out replacement, which comes with a much larger price tag.

 

We hope that these cost-saving tips save you the pain of a full-on air conditioner replacement. However, if you do absolutely need a replacement, or you’re not sure, don’t hesitate to give us a call at Gentry AC. We take the comfort of North Texas seriously, and look forward to serving you!