Skip to main content

Is Your Home Warranty Void?? HVAC Edition!

Is your HVAC system properly Maintained? If you are not doing the proper maintenance your warranty may be VOID!!


HVAC SYSTEM TYPES


 As  promised, the next edition of our blog is here with tips and tricks to help you make sure your NEW HOME WARRANTY doesn't get voided!

As we mentioned, your furnace and AC are vital components to your home working properly as a system, and they do require regular maintenance. Since we cannot possibly list every type of heating system available, we are going to focus on the most common type, a natural gas/propane forced air furnace. If you have other types of heating or cooling installed, you will have to focus on your manual and some other resources. below we have listed links to several other types of heating and cooling systems:





If you have a traditional forced air furnace, and air conditioner, below we have listed some of the primary maintenance that must be done. Again, not to harp on the subject, but you MUST refer to your owners manual to make sure you are following any specific requirements for your appliance!!

Furnace and Air Conditioner - 
Let me start by saying that each and every furnace is a bit different in their maintenance schedules, so there is no substitute for reading the manual! As you will see, this is the first place we refer you to for nearly every appliance.

The single most important maintenance item on any furnace is maintaining the filter. There are a wide variety of filters on the market; make sure the filter you choose is compatible with your furnace. This information should be available in the users manual, and you will look for the MERV Rating. Below is a chart, and a short video explaining how these ratings work.


While you may be tempted to buy the filter that removes the MOST amount of dust, and the has the smallest filtration size, the filter must allow the proper amount of air volume through it for your furnace. A filter that is too restrictive can cause your furnace to work much harder than it is designed, causing it to be inefficient, and potentially to wear out sooner, and most importantly, it can VOID your warranty!

Cleaning your unit is the next regular maintenance typically required for your furnace and AC unit. This is also a procedure that is somewhat specific to each brand and model. There are, however, typically 2 areas you need to clean: inside the furnace unit, and the AC condenser that sits outside. Below are some linked videos that show the typical methods to clean these. Again, ALWAYS refer to your owners manual! And ALWAYS be sure to disconnect power!

Cleaning and Maintaining a Furnace

Cleaning an AC condenser

Note: While these are the major maintenance requirements of most manufacturers, they are not meant to be all inclusive. You must read your owners manual to make sure you are doing ALL required maintenance for your furnace. It is also recommended by most manufactures to have your duct work cleaned professionally every few years, especially if you have had renovations, or have mold issues in your home.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overrun with chipmunks?

Overrun with chipmunks?  This Spring found us with a startlingly huge increase in chipmunks as it has for many this year. We have had amazing success considerably lowering their population with these simple, humane and environmentally friendly tactics: Clean up all areas around the home and gardens, eliminating their hiding places; leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. and trim plants/bushes away from the home perimeter. We had an old brick barbecue that had become a chipmunk ‘hotel’ so that was also removed. Use Cayenne or similar retardant (pureed garlic &/or hot pepper spray, coffee grounds-ask a local coffee shop for their grounds, etc.) to sprinkle/spray the areas after clean-up. Liquid retardants generally last longer than dry. We have had success with Plantskydd (a blood meal product) available in granular and liquid.  Plant flowers and herbs that are natural deterrents ; some examples are: Marigolds, Ageratum, Shasta, Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, Phlox, Spider wort Sage, Or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Home Inspections, and Real Estate Transactions During COVID-19

During these tumultuous times, we are looking for ways to keep moving forward while staying safe. In this blog we will discuss some of the steps to take if you are in the process of buying or selling a home during the COVID-19 outbreak. At the bottom of this post we will provide links to additional resources. Showings/Walk-t h roughs Sellers -   Put away personal belongings. Personal items such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes, cups, dishes should all be put away in cupboards, or covered. Should a potential buyer come through and cough or touch these items they could become contaminated.  Wipe down hard surfaces before you leave, including counters, door handles, appliances and other features of your home potential buyers may be  examining . When you re-enter your home after the showing, simply walk through and wipe those surfaces again. Consider leaving nitrile or non latex gloves for guests to wear while the y  look at the home. These are extremel...
Post a Comment
Read more

Safely Disposing of Prescription Drugs .... Things have changed!

GOT PILLS??? Even decades ago we knew that having  expired prescription drugs was a safety risk. When I was growing up, I was always taught to simply flush the pills down the toilet. Unfortunately, this is EXACTLY what we did! Years later we have learned that this method of disposal is not at all good for the environment. So the question now is, what is the proper way to dispose of expired or unused medication? The first, and preferred method is to find a location that accepts unused medication. There is a household drug take back map available that shows locations across the state. Follow this link to find one of the centers in your area.  Drug Take Back Map   Often times these are pharmacies or local police departments. When using these services, be sure to make sure they accept the type of medication you are going to bring. Some locations only have capacity to accept certain medications. If you do not have one of these facilities in your area, or c...
Post a Comment
Read more