HVAC Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Keeping your house warm in the winter can be difficult, especially when warm air can easily escape. It can be easily fixed with caulking around the windows or adding weather strips around doors. Not only will this keep the air in your house, it will keep the cold air out.
Close Up the Chimney
If you’re not using your fireplace, make sure to keep your damper closed. The damper is a movable plate that is above the fireplace. When it’s closed, it keeps hot air from going up the chimney and prevents cool air from entering.
Don’t Play with the Thermostat
Just like setting your thermostat to a low temperature won’t cool your house faster, neither will raising your thermostat to a higher temperature make it heat up faster. It will damage your unit and raise the heating costs. The key to having a warm house is to start the heat beforehand.
Use Portable Heaters
If your HVAC just isn’t doing the trick, try using a portable space heater for supplementary heating. That way, your heater doesn’t have to work as hard. Make sure to turn off the heaters when you leave the room, as leaving the equipment unattended is a safety hazard.
Change your Furnace Filter
While you may have had a tune-up in the fall, go ahead and make sure to change your filter in the winter. This should be done at the start of the heating season. This will ensure good airflow and quality in your home. A dirty filter can impact the efficiency of your unit, as well as the health of your family.
Follow these tips to make sure your HVAC unit is ready for the winter. If HVAC/R is your passion, make sure to check out our HVAC/R Program HERE
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