Learn About This Year’s Fall Checklist
Residents of North Dakota know that we get the full brunt of seasons here in the state. So when summer ends, that means the arrival of autumn isn’t just about kids going back to school.
Temperatures are going to drop, plant life is going to wither, and if you have a modern heating system, you should start prepping it for the seasonal change in a few important ways.
Your Indoor Preparations
If you have a fully integrated HVAC system, that means you have a condenser built outside your home, and it takes air, cools it, then sends it to your furnace. Once the air is in your furnace, the fan pumps that cool air throughout the house.
This means that throughout the summer, even if your furnace hasn’t been heating the home, the filter inside it has been working all season long. It’s time to change that filter out and replace with a new one for the autumn season when your furnace finally goes back to work.
Once the air gets cooler, it also gets drier, which can lead to itchiness and discomfort. Some people have humidifiers installed to take care of this problem during the drier seasons.
Like your furnace, humidifiers also have filters that should be new for a new season of operation. Humidifiers should also be cleaned out, getting rid of scale or hard water build up that might have accrued during the previous year.
Your Outdoor Prep Work
The seasonal preparations also extend to that condenser you have outside your home. Because of its function as, essentially, a big air intake and cooling unit, it’s designed with grates, to maximize the air, the fan sucks in.
This also means that some debris, such as leaves, can easily get into the condenser. Too much build-up of this kind of debris can hurt the condenser’s performance.
What you should not do to protect your condenser is go to a store and buy a sheath or cover that completely envelopes the unit, and leave that sitting on your condenser for months, once you switch over to your furnace. Moisture build up is another thing that affects a condenser’s performance and lifespan, and a cover can affect this. It may also unintentionally make the condenser a more tempting shelter for smaller animals.
Instead, when the leaves start falling, find some kind of cover for the top of the condenser to shield the topmost grates from falling debris. Once autumn has passed and there are no more leaves, remove the cover. Leave your condenser exposed to the elements; it’s been built specifically to take it.
Get Experts to Help
If you really want some peace of mind with regards to your HVAC system, have some experienced technicians brought in to inspect and maintain things. They can take a look at all the important components of both your furnace and condenser to make sure there no problems brewing.
They can even do extra maintenance, like cleaning your ventilation ducts to ensure another season of smooth operation. Just make sure to select the right professionals for the job.
Take a careful look at your options, and pick only licensed, reputable companies in the Fargo, ND area. Companies like Laney’s Inc, for example, have both the reviews and the reputation that ensures that your choice means your HVAC system will be well taken care of.
