Insulating Your Home To Help Your HVAC SystemInsulating Your Home To Help Your HVAC System


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Insulating Your Home To Help Your HVAC System

When we couldn't get our home to cool down last summer, we started checking our HVAC system. We found out that our air conditioning system was working fine, but the air just seemed to leave our house rapidly. We contacted an HVAC contractor to run a few tests, and he concluded that we had a severe insulation problem. After showing us which rooms had bad leaks, he recommended a business to come out and remedy the situation. This blog is all about insulating your home and helping you to keep that carefully heated and cooled air inside, where it belongs.

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What You Can Do As A Homeowner To Keep Your AC Running Efficiently

Your air conditioning system can work hard to keep your home cool in the hot summer months. Little problems can impact the efficiency of the system and cause it to fail. Some failures will create a large repair bill for you. You can do some simple maintenance on your air conditioning system to keep it running well. Here is how to help your AC to keep performing at its best.

Keep a Clean Air Filter in the System

The air filter removes dust, hair and other particles from the air before it enters the air conditioning system. This not only cleans the air that you and your family breathe, it also keeps the AC components running cooler. As the filter clogs up, the blower motor must work harder to pull in the air. This makes the motor get hot. If it runs too hot, it will fail. Simply changing the air filter every one to three months will reduce the amount of work the motor must do to provide enough air in the system to cool your house.

To properly change the air filter:

  1. Turn off the AC system while you change the filter.
  2. Remove the access panel to get to the filter.
  3. Pull the filter out. Make note of which direction the little arrow printed on the side of the filter is pointing. You'll want to orient the new filter in the same direction.
  4. Slip the new filter into place, making sure that it is seated properly in the frame with no gaps between the filter and the frame.
  5. Replace the access cover.
  6. Turn the power back on to the air conditioner.

Keep the Compressor Cool

The compressor sits outside in a small housing. This device is responsible for creating the cool air that is sent back into your home. A fan and special heat-dispersing fins on and around the compressor keep it from overheating. By cleaning these every few weeks, you'll help keep the compressor cool.

  1. Turn the power off to the air conditioner.
  2. Remove the panel covering the housing containing the compressor.
  3. The fan will be on top and the metal fins will be surrounding the compressor.
  4. Using a vacuum cleaner and a long wand attachment with a soft brush, clean all dirt and debris from the fan blades and the metal fins.
  5. Carefully straighten any bent fins.
  6. If a large section of fins has been mashed in, contact an air conditioning repair company to fix the problem. They have a special "comb" with which they can straighten out large numbers of bent fins so they are effective at dispersing heat again.
  7. Replace the top on the housing and turn the power back on to the air conditioner.

For more information about AC repair, visit Childers Enterprises Inc.