How to Prepare your HVAC System for the Fall

The overwhelming heat of summer in Akron/Canton is over! It’s time to pack away your shorts, sandals, and your blow-up pools. At long last it is time for the leaves to turn color, jack-o-lanterns, over-sized sweaters, and all the other great things that come with cooler weather. This also means it is time to use your heating system, rather than the AC! But, before you switch your HVAC system over to the heat setting and prepare for the brutal winter the Ohio area brings us, here are a few things you need to do.

1. Perform Routine Maintenance
   
   There are several benefits to having your system regularly maintained. Regularly having your system cleaned will help to improve the air quality in your home. It will also help to extend the life of your HVAC system, and it will increase the energy efficiency of the system as well. So, schedule a Forquer professional to come and check out your system, to ensure every thing is running smoothly. 
    
2. Check, Clean, or Replace Filters
   
   This is an easy task that you can accomplish on your own without a professional. It will go a long way toward helping your system to run efficiently. A clean filter will help to heat or cool your home much more efficiently than a dirty filter. You will also need to be certain that you take care of the filter system throughout the fall, winter, and early spring months. Once you fully replace a filter, which ideally should be done when a season changes, it will improve your HVAC’s system by anywhere from 5%-15%. A new filter can lower your system’s energy consumption, which means a lower heating bill for you this winter.
    
3. Start Warming Up your Heating Unit
   
   Just like your car needs time to get warmed up and going when it’s below freezing outside, your HVAC system needs time to adjust to heating. It may take some time for your unit to get back up to its proper speed and efficiency because it has sat unused for such a long time. So on days or even overnight when it’s going to be much cooler out than it has been, go ahead and turn on your heat system to a low setting.
    
4. It May be Time for an Upgrade
   
   Some experts say that fall is the best time to purchase a new HVAC system. Contractors will be less busy in the fall than they would during the summer, so it will be easier and probably cheaper as well to replace your system after summer ends. There is also something known as the 5000 rule. This is one method of determining whether or not you should replace your unit. Multiply the age of the HVAC system equipment by the estimated repair cost, and if that total exceeds $5,000, then go ahead and replace your unit. If the total is less than $5000, then go ahead and have the unit repaired instead.

If you need help preparing your HVAC system for the fall, feel free to reach out to the experts here at Forquer Heating & Conditioning.