Fall Maintenance Tasks – Easy DIY for Your HVAC

As much as we hate to admit it, even in Palm Beach, the cooler season is right around the corner. This means it’s time to start prepping your home for fall so you can adjust your energy use down, and begin to take advantage of your lower energy bills. To get your started, we’ve compiled a short list of DIY chores:

• Schedule service for your heat pump or HVAC – Since you’ll be using your furnace again, it’s time to hire a professional HVAC technician and get it serviced. This will improve the system’s efficiency for the upcoming busy time of the year and help pinpoint any problems.
• Check and change the air filter(s) – If you haven’t inspected your cooling and heating system filter in a while, there’s no time like the present.
• Clean your fireplace – If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to clean your fireplace flues and liners to avoid any creosote buildup.
• Check your roofs, gutters and downspouts – Debris can quickly collect in these areas, so who knows what you might find if you haven’t cleaned them in a while?
• Switch out your light bulbs – An easy way to save energy each month is to replace your traditional bulbs with models that use much less energy such as CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and LEDs (light-emitting diodes). These bulbs come in a variety of sizes and styles, which means that most traditional types can now be replaced while maintaining your home’s decor.
• Seal your doors and windows – In order to prevent heat from escaping through the gaps around your doors and windows, which will make your heating equipment work harder, seal them with either caulk or weatherstripping, depending on the type of leak.
• Inspect the crawl space under your home – It’s easy for water to accumulate in your crawl space, which can quickly become a breeding ground for mold and endanger your household’s health. If that’s the case, removing the water is necessary, along with any insects or vermin that may have made the crawl space their home.

To learn more about fall and winter home preparation, call Preferred Air Conditioning & Mechanical, Inc. in Palm Beach area at (561) 202-1422.