Getting Your Home and HVAC System Ready for Fall and Winter

Fall and winter are approaching, and cooler weather is coming with them. While many people welcome this drop in temperature, especially in a hot state like Texas, it’s important to remember that nights can get pretty cold during these months. To ensure that your family stays warm, it’s wise to hire an HVAC contractor to perform a tuneup on your heating system. There are also a few things that you can do to prepare your Sugarland, TX, home’s HVAC system for fall and winter.

Use Your HVAC System a Few Times Before Cold Weather Arrives

Your first order of business should be to give your gas furnace a test run. Fire up your furnace at some point during the beginning of fall to ensure that everything is working properly. This will help you avoid any surprises if something doesn’t work correctly. Also, it will give you plenty of time to have a professional look at it before the really cold weather hits.

If your heat pump or gas furnace is old, it might need replacing. Figuring this out during the beginning of fall gives you time to research and buy a new system before the colder months arrive. You should pick a fuel-efficient system with a good Energy Star Rating. There are many other things to consider when choosing a new furnace, including a variable speed blower, possible indoor air quality products and if a zoning system makes sense for your home. Thankfully, a professional can help you choose the right furnace to fit your household’s needs.

Change Your HVAC System’s Air Filter

When an HVAC system breaks down, sometimes it’s the result of poor circulation caused by dust and dirt building up on the air filter. Many homeowners forget to change the filters, resulting in a buildup of debris. This makes the HVAC system work longer and harder than normal. The extra stress not only raises your energy bill but also wears out your system faster.

If you have trouble locating your system’s air filter, consult the owner’s manual. It should give you recommendations on how often to change the filter as well. In general, though, you should change it every quarter, or more frequently, if needed. Even if the filter doesn’t look dirty, you should still change it every 90 days.

Reverse Your Ceiling Fan

Homeowners don’t usually think about running ceiling fans during the cooler months, but doing so can actually keep your home warmer by pushing down the warm air that your heat pump produces. Since hot air rises, the air that your system produces has a tendency to settle near the ceiling until it cools and falls back down. As a result, your HVAC system has to work harder to produce more warm air to fill the room.

If you have a ceiling fan, there should be a switch around the base of the unit. When you flip this switch, it reverses the way that the blades spin, causing an upward draft. The cooler air that the fan pulls from the floor displaces the warm air on the ceiling, making it circulate through the room again. This is especially helpful in rooms that have high ceilings. The higher the ceiling, the farther away the warm air settles.

Let Us Help You Get Your Home and HVAC System Ready for Cooler Weather

While there are several things that you can do to prepare your home and HVAC system for the winter, it’s still important to hire a professional to perform general maintenance on your system. Whether you have a heat pump or a gas furnace, Davis Air Conditioning & Heating technicians have the tools and knowledge to get the job done right. Check out our heating repair, maintenance and installation service page for more information, or reach out to one of our specialists.