The last thing on anyone's mind right now is HVAC. It's too warm to need the furnace and too cool to need the air conditioner. We do live in Indiana though so that can change in just 24 hours! We want to provide some tips for things you can do on your own to keep your furnace and air conditioner running at its best. We present the LCS Top Ten of Homeowner DIY HVAC Tips:
10. During cold or hot months, keep the programmable thermostat set within 3 degrees of each setting. A furnace and air conditioner will have to run for a very long time to make up the temperature difference. If you have an electric furnace
and heat pump, the electric furnace will come on as well to reach the set temperature. Since an electric furnace runs at a higher cost, it counters the savings that you might have had with the lower initial temperature.
9. Keep the weed eater and lawn mower away from the control wiring of the air conditioner. The wiring should not be hanging down but if it is, be careful when mowing and weed eating. It's not a high voltage wire but if it gets cut with a weed eater or mower, you can get shocked and it can take out the air conditioner. If the wiring is loose or hanging down, tie it up with electrical tape or have a technician tie it back when they're out doing annual maintenance.
8. If you are experiencing high utility bills, call the gas or electric company first. Ask the utility company if there's been an increase in the therm or electric rate. Ask if your bill compares to the average of others in your neighborhood. You can get great information about what your utility bill should be running. If there isn't a good reason for the higher bill, then it might be time to have a technician out to make sure the system is operating properly.
7. Move furniture away from registers. It's not uncommon to see a couch over a register or a bookcase pushed up against a register. Not only can the heat dry out your furniture but it also prevents the air from properly traveling throughout the rooms.
6. Keep registers open. A very common problem in two story homes is a temperature swing between the upstairs and downstairs. Homeowners try to fix this problem by closing registers upstairs or in some rooms. Keep the registers open. Closing registers can restrict air flow and cause the furnace to run hot. This can ultimately shorten the life of parts inside the furnace such as motors. It can also make the air conditioner freeze up by reducing the volume of air that the system needs to expel throughout the house. This is comparable to running the system with a dirty filter.
5. If you notice a noise, smell or problem, call on it right away. If you notice something unusual, don't ignore it. It's rare that an HVAC issue will go away or resolve itself. Noises and smells often mean that a part is getting weak or going out. A little critter could also have gotten inside. Address these issues before your furnace or air conditioner goes completely out. It's no fun being without heat on a cold day or without a/c when it's hot out!
4. Keep dogs away from the air conditioner. Animal urine will degrade the a/c fins. There's not much that can be done to fix the fins once this happens so it's best to make sure the fur babies stay away.
3. Replace the batteries in the thermostat. If the thermostat goes blank, check to see if there are batteries that need changed. Not all thermostats have batteries, but if it does, it's likely AA or AAA batteries that need changed.
2. Pick up leaves that are around the air conditioner or heat pump. Leaves, cottonwood, branches, etc can gather around the air conditioner. Keep these things cleaned away so the outdoor unit can breathe.
1. CHANGE THE FILTER! This is the number one thing to do to keep your furnace and air conditioner running efficiently! A dirty filter causes restricted air flow and can ultimately cause the system to stop working. If you have a 1" filter, check it once a month. If you have a 4-5" filter, check it every 3 months. It may not need to be changed at that time but it's good to check it to make sure. It's also a good idea to keep extra filters at the house. That way, you always have one on hand when it's time for it to be changed.
A couple of other tips are to caulk or re-caulk around windows and doors. It's also a great idea to check the insulation in your home. If you don't have at least 12-15" of insulation in the attic, you'll want to consider adding more!
Keeping up on these things can not only save you money but can save you from the inconvenience of being without heating or cooling during those hot and cold months. HVAC equipment is definitely an investment. Protect your investment by following our Top Ten tips!
Compared to some Indiana winters, we've been pretty lucky this year! Winter is still winter though and we're right in the middle of it. With a couple of cold months still left, the question should be asked: How's your home holding up? We'd like to share some customer HVAC questions we've had over the past month as well as provide some tips to protect your home against the harsh winter days.
Q: My furnace is running but it's not keeping the temperature that I have it set at.
A: Have you checked your filter? A dirty filter restricts air flow and can affect the operation of the furnace. During milder outdoor temperatures, a filter that's a little dirty may not affect anything at all. During colder outdoor temperatures, the same filter can cause the furnace to have to work harder and fall behind. Filters may have to be changed more often than usual during extreme outdoor temperatures.
Q: I usually keep my whole house humidifier set at 40% but I've recently noticed that my windows are sweating.
A: When outdoor temperatures get really cold, you may have to turn your humidifier down. Once the outdoor temperatures warm back up a little, you can turn it back to it's normal setting. When there's too much of a humidity difference between the outdoors and indoors, you may notice some sweating. It's a common misconception that the colder it is, the higher the humidifier should be turned up. The opposite is actually true. In addition, houses differ in how insulated they are (amount of insulation, leaky windows and doors, etc). Therefore, one house may notice window sweating at 30% and another at 40%. Adjust the humidistat up or down accordingly.
Q: Why is there ice on my heat pump?
A: There's not a cut and dry answer for this. A heat pump has a defrost cycle that it goes through to melt the ice under normal circumstances. If ice is there at one time and gone the next time you look, then it is likely operating normally and has gone through the defrost cycle. If you see ice for days on end, there's possibly a problem. It could be a number of things. Turn the heat pump off by taking the thermostat to emergency heat. That will help thaw the ice so it can be properly diagnosed.
Q: My electric bills are outrageous!
A: If you are all electric, our first question will always be: do you have a heat pump or air conditioner? An electric furnace running by itself to heat your home is very inefficient and expensive. If you have an air conditioner with electric furnace, it's worth considering replacing the air conditioner with a heat pump. If you do have a heat pump and still have unusually high electric bills, there could be a problem with the heat pump or furnace. The heat pump could be under-charged, it could not be going into defrost mode, a bank of heat in the electric furnace could be stuck on, etc. It would be worth having your equipment looked at if you feel like your utility bills are high.
Here are ten other tips that we have to prep your home for colder days to come:
*Have your furnace cleaned and tuned-up
*Test sump pump
*Caulk around windows and doors
*Remove hoses from outdoor spigots
*Check insulation in attic. It should be a minimum of 12 inches
*Check door thresholds for gaps
*Plug in carbon monoxide detectors if you have gas appliances (stove, furnace, water heater, etc)
*Reverse ceiling fans
*Have your fireplace, chimney and vents inspected to make sure all is in good condition
*Clean gutters
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any additional questions. Stay warm and cozy!
There's a common passion among all of us at LCS Heating and Cooling. Well, in addition to home comfort and the mechanics of HVAC that is! The common passion is animals. We love dogs, we love cats, one of our techs even has a rabbit! We're just animal people. It never surprises me to get a random picture throughout the day of a dog or cat. It's usually a customer's pet that Travis takes a picture of and says- check this little one out! One of our installers even sent a picture of a customer's pet turtle that hung out in the backyard with them while they changed the heat pump. So, where are we going with this?
We were all talking a few weeks ago about wanting to have some "community projects." We're excited to tell you about our first one! One of our customers is Freeland Animal Hospital (www.freelandanimalhospital.com). They are located at Pendleton Pike and Sunnyside in Indianapolis. They are fantastic people and care so well for their furry clients! Each year, they have an Angel Tree in which they accept donations of dog and cat food, treats and supplies. All donations then go to a local rescue. This year the local rescue is PAWS (http://www.pawshancock.org), located in Greenfield.
Now through the end of the year, LCS Heating and Cooling, LLC has the following "Promotion" going on:
**For each new customer that signs up for Annual Maintenance (our Energy Savings Plan), we will donate a bag of dog or cat treats. Here's the link for more information about our Energy Savings Plan for your HVAC equipment: https://lcstempsite.dreamhosters.com/esp.html
**For each new furnace install, we will donate a 5lb bag of dog or cat food.
**For each new full system install (furnace & air conditioner), we will donate a 15lb bag of dog or cat food.
Will it be dog or cat food? The choice is yours!!
We are so excited to help a local rescue that helps so many dogs and cats each year. Who do you know that's thinking about having some HVAC work done? We greatly appreciate your referrals and personal business. The animals will too!