Summer Home Care – Air Handlers Inc.

Is your filter ready for the warmer weather?

When did you last check/change your system filter? Changing your filter regularly and properly is important for indoor air quality, your family’s health, and the life of your heating and cooling equipment. Neglecting to change your filter results in poor airflow and decreased filtration power.

Many homeowners should change their disposable furnace filter once a month, but the bare minimum is once a season. That’s why now is a great time to go ahead and change it out properly. Do you know the correct way to change your filter?

The first thing you need to do is find out where your furnace filter is located. Is it in your ductwork? Near your furnace? Inside the air handler or furnace cabinet?
Next, find out what size filter you need along with the proper filtration power. Higher efficiency filters can eliminate dust throughout your home and block all sorts of harmful airborne contaminants.
Correctly place your furnace filter. This is where knowing which way the arrow is supposed to face is important. Always make sure that the airflow arrow on your filter is pointing towards your furnace or air handler.

If you have questions or concerns about your furnace’s filter, or aren’t sure where your filter is located, call Air Handlers today. You don’t want to go poking around in your ductwork or furnace cabinet to try and locate your filter. When in doubt, call a professional!

Some Summer Tips for your HVAC

Summer is here (in a way). While the extremely hot temperatures haven’t hit our area, what has come has been muggy some days. This increase in humidity might have some of you turning on your AC, even if only for a short time. Even without heavy usage, it’s still a good idea to practice these maintenance tips for your HVAC system.

Summer Thermostats

Summertime means schedule changes, especially for kids out of school for the summer or families planning to travel for vacation. Make sure to adjust your thermostat settings to account for your family’s new schedule and any vacations that occur. Examples include:

Later wake-up times in the morning, since there’s no bus to catch for kids
With family members home all day, adjust setbacks for more occupancy hours rather than a vacant home from 8am to 5pm
Summer sports and activities that keep you out of the home for periods of time
Later bedtimes

Improve Your Airflow

Good airflow through your air conditioner helps the system function efficiently and deliver better comfort throughout your living areas. These HVAC maintenance tips show you how to improve airflow through your cooling system this summer:

Change your air filter on a regular basis. In the summertime, filters often fill up with debris quicker than in the spring because the system runs more frequently. Check the filter each month to determine if a change is necessary.

Clean off the exterior air conditioner. Do this whenever you do lawn maintenance or cut grass. Grass clippings, mulch, leaves, and other outdoor debris can gather on your condensing unit and block the fins that allow heat to leave the system.

Clear the area around the outdoor unit. In addition to cleaning, make sure there are no plants or other items in the two feet of space immediately surrounding the unit. Prune shrubs and branches nearby and pull up vegetation that has grown around the unit’s base. Relocate outdoor storage away from your unit to eliminate any airflow obstructions.

Ensure vents are open and unblocked. Walk through your home and check every vent, register, and return air grille. All vent and register louvers should be set open. Move rugs, furniture, and other items away from the vents and grilles to allow air to freely circulate through the ducts, into your home, and back to the air conditioning system.

Summer Home Exterior Cleaning

Take care of your home this summer by washing the outside of your house and cleaning the siding. It is best to use a garden hose instead of a pressure washer to avoid damaging the exterior of your home.