Heating And AC Repair: Preparing Your Home For The Winter | Azle, TX
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Winter is that time of the year where you may get skyrocketing energy bills. Homeowners can completely avoid this when they know how to winterize their own homes. One of the goals is to conserve energy while staying warm and not having to call heating and AC repair in Azle, TX. We have provided effective tips below on how to help homeowners prepare for the coldest winters.
Preparing Your Heating System
As much as possible, you should avoid calling heating and AC repair in Azle, TX during winter. However, you may have to call a technician to assist you in preparing it.
The first thing a homeowner should do is do a test run of their HVAC system. Keep in mind that your home’s heating system is the most important element during winter as that will keep you comfortable and warm. Heating and AC repair costs during that time can be expensive too, so it helps to ensure that everything is working properly. As much as possible, you should avoid calling a technician to help you fix your entire system. Set your thermostat to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In a few minutes, your furnace should be working fine and you will begin to feel the warm air. If you think there is nothing wrong, you may adjust the thermostat back to your preferred setting or normal setting. When there seems to be a problem, call a licensed technician in Azle, TX for heating and AC repair. A competent technician should be able to diagnose the problem and provide helpful solutions.
The next step is to clean and replace air filters to ensure that you have healthy indoor air. You will most likely be staying at home for most of the winter so it’s essential that you get cleaner air. Always check with the manufacturer’s recommendations on which air filter to acquire for your home. You may also check with a technician in Azle, TX if you are not sure. If you need a technician to thoroughly inspect your entire heating system, just schedule a heating and AC repair or service at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth.
As soon as you have replaced the air filters, it’s time to inspect your heating vents. Make sure that they are properly cleaned. You should get a free flow of air with a cleaner vent. If possible, hire a heating and AC repair or service to get a professional cleaning of your heating vents.
Do you use either a fuel oil furnace or propane? Check your fuel storage tank if you will have enough. Also, make sure that you check whether there are carbon monoxide leaks. While you can easily do this at home, you can also hire a heating and AC repair or service in Azle, TX to assist you with this. A technician can help you further.
Don’t Neglect Your Air Conditioner
Although you will not be using your AC during winter, you need to get them stored. But first, you need to properly clean them first so they will work efficiently when it’s time to use them.
Your ACs condensing unit must be cleared of dirt or any debris. After cleaning, make sure that you let them dry completely before securing them. When not protected, they will be susceptible to rust and damage. Chances are their internal components may freeze and when this happens, either you will need to replace them or call heating and AC repair in Azle, TX. You wouldn’t want costly repairs or replacements because you neglected your AC. Taking care of your condensing unit also extends its lifespan.
If you have a window-type air conditioner, remove it as much as possible. With them still in your windows, it will be hard to completely seal them against cold drafts.
You can always hire a technician in Azle, TX if you need additional help with your AC. Do make sure you do this before winter comes to avoid paying for costly heating and AC repair or service.
Check Your Home’s Insulation
Apart from checking your home’s insulation, you need to also make sure that your outdoor pipes and faucets are insulated. When left unprotected during winter, the water inside your drain pipes may freeze. Your pipes will also highly likely burst. To avoid major leaks and repairs, you can either insulate them yourself or just hire a professional to assist you. If you are leaving home for the entire winter season, it is best to completely shut down your water supply to avoid major floods that can damage the structure of your home.
Seal Windows and Doors
Do you want to save more energy during winter? Then take your time in winterizing both your windows and doors. What you can do is check for air leaks. To do this, you will need to check on a windy day. Close all your doors and windows and stay alert for air leaks. Check for gaps around windows especially when you have older windows installed. They tend to crack or wear down over time. Make sure all are sealed up to avoid heat loss. Although there are inexpensive solutions like using plastic tape to seal them, you are better off with a high-quality caulk for sealing gaps especially if you are concerned about the appearance of your home. You may also get a heating and AC repair or service in Azle, TX so a technician can inspect doors and windows, and properly seal gaps.
Check Your Chimney and Fireplace
Homeowners who own wood-burning fireplaces and chimneys must inspect them before winter. These two places are sources of cold leaks that will make your HVAC work harder. Not inspecting them and fixing any leaks will only skyrocket your heating bills. Eventually, it may also wear out your entire system. As a result, you may have to get heating and AC repair for it or worse, a costly replacement. For your chimneys, ensure that they are free from any small animals such as squirrels or birds. Make sure that you do not have any problem opening and closing the damper. If you use the chimney, test it first. It has to properly draw up smoke and fire. What you can do is to roll sheets of paper and light them with the damper in the open position. When the chimney is not obstructed, the smoke should rise up. Otherwise, consider hiring a professional to inspect and resolve any problems you have with your chimneys. Do all of these before winter starts.
Clean The Gutters
You shouldn’t do this only during the winter months but every season. When your home gets a lot of snow, your gutters may not be able to hold them up. It will cause water damages in return. Keep in mind that water can severely damage the structure of your homes but you can completely avoid this when you clean the gutters yourself or hire a professional to help you do it.
Check the Insurance Coverage of your Home
If you need to call a heating and AC repair for your home, make sure that it is only done by a licensed professional to ensure that they follow code that may affect your insurance policy. You will need to do everything insurance-related before winter comes. Did you do upgrades or renovations to your home lately? Check with your insurance company or agent if they are included in your home’s policy just in case things go out of hand during winter. Consider asking your insurance company about other services they offer for policyholders. You may be able to take advantage of ice damage or for heating and AC repair costs.
Everything needs to be taken care of at least a month before winter so you can just relax and perhaps work on the other things that you need to do at home such as doing all the preparations for winter.
Call a Professional to Inspect Your Roof
It’s not enough to get a professional to help you with heating and AC repair or other services for your HVAC system. To fully prepare for winter, you need to also hire a professional to properly inspect your entire roof. Poor roofing insulation can give you higher heating bills as that is one of the areas in your home where air enters and exits. Proper sealing and repairs are also ideal before the colder temperatures. Although not impossible, it can be dangerous to work with any roof-related services during winter. You may have to pay a higher cost for that. During spring, hire a reliable roofing contractor to help you diagnose and fix any roof problems you may have including properly insulating them to assist your HVAC system.
Store All Outdoor Items
If you have some outdoor furniture, either you can secure them with a good cover or store them inside. For homeowners with concrete driveways, check whether there are cracks you need to seal. Although there are crack sealers that you can use during the winter to effectively repair your driveway, it’s always ideal to work with them before the freezing temperatures. If you use a gas mower, make sure that you drain it. Also, unplug all pumps or other water features. Do proper winterizing your garden or lawn if you have one.
It’s important to winterize your entire home as outdoor appliances or furniture replacements are just as expensive as heating and AC repair costs. If you need help winterizing your home, you can always call a professional for help.
Make Sure That You Have a Home Emergency Kit
You may not have to use this but it’s always better when you are prepared should any unforeseen event happen. First, take care of your HVAC to avoid costly heating and AC repair during winter or a complete shutdown. Next is to fix or seal all cracks, and winterize all the other areas for your home. Most importantly, you will need to acquire the things below:
First aid kit – This is important especially if you have kids at home. Make sure that you have all medications for the entire family. It would be best for you to also learn some basic first aid, just in case.
Toiletries & sanitary kits – It can be really inconvenient going out of the house especially during freezing temperatures. But you won’t have to so long as you have all the essentials such as food and toiletries. You need to also get some alcohol or hand sanitizers in case you will be having problems with your water supply.
Cellphones, chargers, radio and other communication devices – This will be important especially during a disaster. You can use a battery-powered radio when getting information outside. Just do make sure that you fully charge them.
Generators and other sources of energy – A generator can be expensive but they sure are worth it. It can keep your HVAC and other appliances running when there is a power interruption. However, you need to store generators away from your home to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Wood or coal for heating is also ideal.
You need to also acquire snow-removing devices or supplies as you will definitely need them during the winter.
Call a Professional at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth, TX
Talk to us if you need a licensed technician in Azle, TX for your heating and AC repair especially before winter comes. It’s best that your heating is working properly to ensure maximum comfort in your home during extremely cold winter months. We would advise you to contact us ahead of time so we can properly do an inspection of your system and help you with the heating and AC repair needed. Get in touch with us today for an appointment.