Summer, winter, fall, or spring, your HVAC system provides needed relief from the elements. When you’re away on vacation, you may still need your system. If you have an upcoming trip planned and expect to be away from home for a few days or more, be sure you consider preparing your HVAC for your absence. Depending on the weather outdoors, you may need your HVAC even while your home is empty. Read on and learn more about the maintenance and preparation tasks needed for your heating and cooling appliances before you head out of town for your trip.
Change Filters
Before heading out of town, check your air filters. These filters trap dust and other contaminants, stopping them from entering your system. When the filters clog, they can hinder the performance of your air conditioner and furnace. Change the filters every three months, but always check them before leaving for vacation.
Clear Outside Unit
With central cooling, you’ll find an outdoor condenser unit near your home. This unit includes a fan and coils that help with heat exchange for cooling. Before leaving for vacation, check on the outdoor condenser unit. Clear debris from the top of the unit. Gently spray the sides of the unit with your garden hose. Create a clearance of 2-3 feet around the unit, clearing back plants and other items. Keeping this unit clear and clean promotes better heat exchange and efficiency and prevents adding stress to an already hardworking system.
Adjust the Thermostat
Comfort in your home isn’t much of an issue if no one is around to enjoy it. When you plan on leaving with the whole family for a few days or more, adjust the temperature on the thermostat. During the high outdoor temperatures of summer, you need the AC for humidity control and prevention of heat damage inside your house. If the weather is a bit more on the chilly side during a winter vacation, you need heat for protection from frozen pipes and other cold weather issues. We recommend setting the thermostat to 80 degrees in the summer or 60 degrees in the winter.
Check Windows and Doors
Before leaving the house for your vacation, check all the windows and doors. Shut them all tightly and lock them so the outside air doesn’t seep in and conditioned air doesn’t escape. This helps prevent unnecessary added heating and cooling while the house sits empty.
Schedule Professional Inspection and Maintenance
Routine maintenance is essential for your heating and cooling system. This service is necessary every year no matter how you plan on spending your free time this summer.
During annual maintenance, our technicians will thoroughly inspect and tune your system. We make sure everything is in proper working order and your system is ready to give you the comfort you need this season and beyond. Check out a few of the things we do during maintenance so you can understand why this service is essential every year, especially before you head out of town.
Inspect Parts for Proper Function
Visual inspection helps us identify any parts or components inside your system that aren’t functioning properly. Damaged or malfunctioning parts can shut down your system and may cause more extensive damage if left unfixed. If you head out of town with your HVAC running, these malfunctioning parts can lead to widespread damage and leave you with a hefty repair bill when you get home.
Clean System
While working inside your HVAC, our technicians will wipe away dust and dirt accumulations. This not only helps us see the parts better during inspection but also helps reduce stress on the different components. Through cleaning, your HVAC system operates more efficiently. When you leave for vacation, you’ll have stress-free cooling or heating so that you don’t arrive home and find an outrageous energy bill in the mail.
Check and Clear Condensate Drain
A condensate drain line helps move water away from your HVAC system, preventing electrical damage and hazards. Your HVAC system creates moisture when it creates conditioned air for your home. This moisture turns to water and drips away into the condensate drain. Our technicians inspect the drain line for damage or holes that could allow water to leak. We also clear the line, ensuring there are no clogs that could prevent the water from draining away from the system.
Check Refrigerant
Your AC needs refrigerant for cold air production. We check the refrigerant level in your cooling system. A low level of refrigerant often indicates a leak as refrigerant continuously cycles rather than being used up. If we spot a leak, we’ll schedule repair service immediately. You can usually spot a refrigerant leak due to frozen coils, endless cycling, or even visual confirmation. However, if you are away on vacation, the leak will go unnoticed until you return. In the meantime, your system faces exceptional stress from attempting to cool your home, and there could be environmental consequences from the leaking refrigerant.
Electrical and Gas Assessment
For safety, our technicians look over all wiring, electrical connections, and gas components in your HVAC system. Frayed wires and loose plugs raise the risk of electrical fires, short circuits, and power surges. If you have a gas furnace, we check the gas valve and test the gas pressure. Gas leaks are extremely hazardous to your health and safety.
Assess Airflow
Once we’ve deemed your HVAC system safe and operational, we’ll turn it on and test it out. When we run a test cycle, we look for proper airflow. This means even and sufficient hot or cold air coming from the vents so that your entire home reaches a comfortable temperature. Uneven or insufficient airflow leads to uncomfortable conditions and can cause higher energy consumption and utility bills. While away on vacation, your HVAC system may cycle more frequently than necessary and cause wasteful energy use.
Inspect and Calibrate Thermostat
Our technicians check your thermostat and make sure it works properly. We manually check the temperature in the room and confirm the temperature displayed on the thermostat matches. If the device does not accurately read the temperature, we can calibrate it so that it does. It’s critical that your thermostat functions properly while away on vacation so that it can control the HVAC system while you are gone. If the thermostat doesn’t send the correct signals to your system, your system may not cycle properly. You could come back home to damages caused by excess heat and humidity levels or cold temperatures in the house.
Call Us for Maintenance Before You Go
It’s time for vacation prep in your home. Whether you have a trip planned or just plan on staying home and relaxing, you still need professional heating and cooling technicians you can trust. We’re here with advanced knowledge and skills for in-depth AC maintenance, expert repair services, and top-notch installations for your HVAC system.
When you’re ready for HVAC maintenance, we’re ready to help. Contact our team at Polar Air & Heating, Inc. today for more information about our service agreement and to get the best maintenance and HVAC services in Las Vegas, NV.
