Spring Maintenance of Your HVAC System
Ahhh…. the lovely sounds of spring. The birds are chirping, the sun is out, the first brave little flowers are popping their pretty little heads out. Spring is finally here! Blink. Okay, it’s over. But hey, that’s spring in Canada eh? Snow one day, a balmy 20 degrees the next. We take what we can get, and man, did I ever enjoy these last few blissful days! Of course I know snow is on its way, but it won’t be long until the nice weather is here to stay and I’m super excited!! Doesn’t warm sunny weather just make you feel crazy productive? My dwindling “To Do” lists have blown up into pages of check boxes in the last few days! Among that list is several spring cleaning items. And guess what that means! Heatpump maintenance! That is, by far, the most exciting thing on the list…. or maybe its 38th down the line. But either way, it’s gotta get done! So what are some things you can do to to maintain your heatpump or minisplit? Let’s dive right in!
First and foremost, it’s important to get your heatpump/minisplit professionally cleaned every few years. It’s a good deep cleaning that is much more thorough than anything you could probably do on your own. Our HVAC cleaning services are important to keep the air in your home clean and it helps keep unwanted odours away. And just like regular maintenance done on your car, HVAC maintenance can help keep your unit running smoothly for longer. If you’ve had your unit for a few years and can’t remember ever getting it professionally cleaned, give us a call!
But what are some things you can do on your own to take the best possible care of your machine?
CLEAN YOUR AIR FILTERS
1. If you’ve read my other blogs, I might sound a bit like a broken record, but take a few minutes to clean your air filters! If you’re not sure how to go about cleaning those (or you’re not sure where those air filters are located), we have an article and a video with step by step instructions on how to do it. It’s easier than you might think.
KEEP YOUR OUTSIDE UNIT CLEAR OF SNOW ACCUMULATION
2. If there is snow around your outside unit, be sure to clear the snow away so there’s enough air flow getting to your machine. (This is also recommended to do during the winter too.) Even if your machine has a hat on it to protect it from falling snow, make sure that no huge chunks of ice could fall off your roof onto the machine. Although it might be able to handle light snow, it won’t be able to protect your machine from larger, heavier pieces of falling ice. These can cause a lot of damage to anything near your house, including HVAC units. If you have a metal roof, ensure that it has snow guards (those sticky uppy things) to make sure no one, and nothing, gets crushed when the snow starts to thaw.
WASH YOUR OUTSIDE UNIT
3. If it’s warm enough, it might be a good time to wash your outside unit. The first step is to turn off your machine! Next, using a garden hose (not a pressure washer, brush or vacuum, as those could cause damage if used incorrectly), hose down your machine from top to bottom following the direction of the fins. It is recommended to do this in the spring and again in the fall. Please be sure to do this when it’s warm out and not when the temperatures have reached freezing. If you have central air, you will want to spray all around the machine. If you have a minisplit (ductless air-conditioning), you will want to spray the back of the unit. And be careful not to spray water directly into the fan. If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, give us a call!
Just as a car gets better gas mileage with a clean filter, your machine will use less power to run when it’s clean!
And there you have it! 3 easy steps to maintain your HVAC system. Happy spring cleaning!