How to Prepare Your Heating and Cooling System for Winter

December has greeted us with these chilly Winter temperatures! At least for now…this IS Maryland after all! 😉  Soon, our furnaces and heating systems will be running throughout the day and night to keep our homes warm and comfy. As temperatures drop, homeowners want to know, “How can I prepare my heating and cooling system for Winter?”

No matter how unpredictable our Winter gets, make sure your furnace and heating equipment is prepared to efficiently heat your home this season when you take the right steps to maintain, test, and protect it. With good care and planning, keep your household warm with reliable heating equipment that performs well all winter long.

Pro-Tech HVAC Home is sharing the steps homeowners should take to ready their HVAC units for Winter. You need to prepare your furnace for the cold and get your heating equipment ready. Check out our guide below so you know how to prepare: 

1. Schedule a Furnace Tune-Up

Preventative maintenance is the most important step to ensure efficient, reliable, and safe heating this Winter. This is ideally completed during the Fall months; however we perform preventative maintenance throughout December and early January. Contact us to schedule a heating system maintenance if you haven’t done so already. 

• A professional maintenance provides all the system care components required to undo the past season’s worth of wear and resolve minor performance flaws that cause inefficient and more expensive operation. Without maintenance, your heating system’s efficiency has likely declined, making it difficult to heat your home effectively and increasing your heating bills.
  
• Maintenance provides the opportunity for malfunctions to be detected and corrected before they lead to a system breakdown. Many issues, when caught early on, can be resolved with much simpler and more affordable repairs. When issues are undetected, and homeowners continue to run their heating systems, more extensive and costly damage may be done. Well-maintained systems work to protect homeowners from surprise repairs and heating outages over the Winter.
  
• Protect your heating equipment now and in the future – maintenance helps your furnace or heat pump last longer! By counteracting the damaging effects of wear and tear and resolving issues that cause inefficient performance, maintenance prevents mounting damage that ultimately takes your system out of service and requires replacement. Get more years of service from your furnace with simple preventative maintenance in the Fall/Winter.

RELATED: Beware of the”$49 Furnace Tune-Up” Special” this Fall

2. Clean the Furnace

While a preventative maintenance will clean out the interior chambers of the furnace or air handler, it’s a homeowner’s responsibility to keep the area around the furnace or heating system clean and clear.

• Remove dirt and debris to prevent these particles from getting sucked up into the furnace or air supply during operation.
• Remove any items stored around the furnace to ensure airflow to the unit is not blocked. Any flammable items should be stored at least six feet away from the furnace. Do not lean items up against the furnace’s exterior.
• Make sure all access doors and exterior panels are firmly attached to the furnace or air handler – when some models have panels loose, the HVAC system will not turn on.

RELATED: What You Need to Know About Furnace Safety

3. Change Air Filters

Air filters protect forced air HVAC systems from dirt, dust, and debris that cause inefficient performance and damage to delicate internal components. 

If you haven’t changed your filter recently, get a fresh start for heating season and replace it now. It should be changed out every 2-3 months, or more frequently if you have pets. During the Winter, heating systems are in heavy use – it’s not unusual for filters to fill up faster and require more frequent replacement. Make it a point to inspect the filter monthly so you can tell if a new one is needed earlier than expected.

Operating a furnace or heat pump with a dirty filter this Winter can cause all sorts of issues you’ll want to avoid. When filters are dirty, they can’t do their job – more contaminants pass through into the furnace or air handler, where they can settle and accumulate on components, restricting their efficiency and causing damage. A filter that’s full of contaminants doesn’t allow proper airflow through the furnace or air handler, so the system consumes more energy as it works harder to move air – this can also cause equipment to overheat, leaving you without heat when the system shuts down for safety, and potentially damaging components which requires repair.

RELATED: Why It’s So Important to Change Your Air Filter Regularly

4. Clean and Clear Air Vents

For your furnace or heat pump to effectively and efficiently heat your home, all vents throughout your living spaces should be open and unobstructed. Closing vents to restrict heating is an energy-savings myth that actually leads to system damage. Your heating unit and ductwork are designed to deliver a precise volume of conditioned air to each area of the home – when a vent is closed or blocked, warm air is trapped in the system. This causes overheating, damage to ducts, and poor energy efficiency.

Before it’s time to turn on your heating system, make sure all vents in your home are open and uncovered.

• If your vent covers have louvers, make sure the louvers are fully opened. If the vent louvers stick, clean the cover to eliminate any buildup contributing to the issue. If louvers are damaged, replace the vent cover.
• Inspect all supply vents and return air grills to ensure they are clear and unobstructed. Remove any furniture, rugs, carpets, and other items that may sit atop or up against these openings.
• While you perform this inspection, it’s a good idea to clean all vent and register covers, too. Dust and dirt build up on them over time, which can restrict airflow and contribute to poor indoor air quality, as well as causing your air filters to become clogged sooner.

5. Take Your Furnace for a Test Drive

You know which days of the year are typically the busiest for heating and cooling contractors? The first hot and first cold days of the year! On the first cold day of Winter, many Annapolis area homeowners are surprised when they go to turn on the heating system for the first time since Spring – it doesn’t work. 

Avoid getting stuck in this situation by taking your furnace or heat pump for a test drive prior to the start of heating season. By firing up the heating system ahead of time, you’re able to verify its performance, ensuring that it comes on when it’s supposed to and heats your home to the desired temperature.

We recommend you do this a minimum of three times before we reach the point in the year where consistent heating is required in the home. Once or twice isn’t enough, and simply turning it on but not running a full heating cycle doesn’t cut it, either. There are plenty of mechanical issues that can exist while still allowing the furnace to turn on, yet heating performance isn’t where it should be. Or the system appears to run fine, but it’s on the verge of a breakdown.

• Choose three different days to test the furnace or heat pump.
• Set the thermostat to the temperature you usually keep the home at over the Winter.
• Allow it to run for some time, so you can assess that it consistently starts, cycles, and stops.
• If the furnace or heat pump fails to turn on or you notice performance issues during operation, contact us to have a technician evaluate and repair the system.

RELATED: Take Your Furnace for a Test Run before Winter

6. Perform a Sound Check

As you test the performance of your furnace or heat pump before winter, don’t just assess what you feel – think about what you hear as well. Unusual furnace noises are indicators of system issues, which often result in diminished performance and the need for repairs.

Pay close attention to the noises you hear as the furnace or heat pump starts up, runs a heating cycle, and shuts down.

It might be hard to remember what your furnace sounded like last year, but we can assure you that it’s mostly what you’d expect: not much more than a click from the thermostat and the rushing of air through the ducts. If you detect an abnormal sound coming from the furnace, it’s almost never a good sign. Noises like banging, clanking, hissing, screeching, or continuous clicking are all problematic and shouldn’t be overlooked. If they’re not indefinite, pay attention to how long these noises last, and if they occur when the system is running, starting, or shutting off (or all of the above). These are all important symptoms to relay to our HVAC technicians.

7. Re-Program Your Thermostat

If your thermostat is programmable, make sure you adjust it accordingly for the cold Winter months. If it isn’t, you might want to consider replacing it with a programmable smart thermostat so you can set it to your schedule, lowering the temperature during times you won’t be at home. This way, you can make sure your furnace isn’t working extra hard when it doesn’t have to be. Not only will this extend the lifespan of your system, it will save you big bucks on energy bills as well.

• You can set your thermostat to automatically lower the temperature when you’re not at home or while you’re sleeping, and raise it before you return or wake up. This allows you to enjoy a warm and cozy home when you need it most without wasting energy when you don’t.
• Temperatures set back 10 or more degrees for at least eight hours a day can help homeowners reduce energy consumption by as much as 10% each year, versus the alternative of cranking your thermostat up. Your heating system runs less, helping it last longer, too!
• For fan settings, choose AUTO. This setting allows the blower to run only when the heating system cycles. This prevents excess energy consumption and the feeling of cold air blasting through your vents as the fan runs without heat.

8. Winterize Outdoor HVAC Equipment

Whether you have a heat pump or air conditioner, outdoor units need some care in the Fall, too. Prep air conditioners for their off-season and get heat pumps ready to work this Winter.

• Clean off the exterior of the unit, removing any grass clippings, leaves, and other debris that have stuck to the fins.
• Weed out any plants or vegetation growing up around the exterior unit.
• Remove any items stored up against the unit and place them in a safe location – nothing should be stored by the unit and two feet of clearance should be left around it on all sides.
• Trim bushes and trees to remove dead limbs and branches which could fall on the unit during a Winter storm, causing damage.
• Clean any gutters positioned overhead to prevent water dripping down onto the unit. If gutters leak above the HVAC unit, have them fixed right away. This helps prevent heat pumps from icing over in the winter and protects air conditioners against moisture damage.
• While there are air conditioner covers available on the market, using such products is not necessary – air conditioners were built to withstand the elements and do not need to be sealed to stop rain or snow from getting inside. If you’re worried about storm damage due to falling limbs, it’s ok to place a plywood board atop the unit temporarily. You don’t want to leave any cover on too long, or else moisture issues inside the unit could develop and damage components.

9. Change Ceiling Fan Direction

Give your heating system some extra help this winter and save energy, too! Adjust ceiling fans to rotate clockwise. There is a switch on the motor casing that allows you to change the rotational direction of the blades.

When fans spin clockwise, this motion creates an updraft in the room that redistributes warm air back down into the spaces of the room that are occupied, allowing occupants to feel more warmth from the home’s heated air instead of allowing it to rise and pool at the ceiling. This effect is only useful when people are present in the room to feel it, so turn ceiling fans off whenever you’re the last one to leave the room to avoid wasting electricity.

10. Prep Humidifier

If your home has a built-in humidifier, make sure it’s in working condition for the Winter season:

• The humidifier’s water panel should be changed at least twice per season – do so before the start of heating season to ensure maximum efficiency from the unit come winter.
• Remove and clean the humidifier’s water reservoir to remove microbes and mineral scale buildup.
• Wipe down the exterior housing and the intake vent that leads to the humidifier’s fan, if applicable.
• Inspect the drain line to ensure there are no leaks.
• Make sure the humidifier is turned on since they are usually shut down in the Spring.

Humidifiers keep relative humidity levels balanced in the home to alleviate dry air and the many issues that come with it. If the humidifier malfunctions, your home may not receive adequate moisture or receive too much moisture, leading to high humidity problems such as mold growth and water damage.

11. Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Every home should be equipped with smoke detectors AND carbon monoxide detectors! Ensure this essential safety equipment is operational to keep your family protected throughout heating season.

• Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors each month by pressing the test button on the face of the unit.
• Replace batteries every six months in alarms with 9-volt batteries as the main or backup power source. Additionally, if smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors begin to chirp, replace batteries right away.
• In general, carbon monoxide detector units should be replaced every five to seven years; every 10 years for smoke detectors. Always check the manufacturer’s recommendation to learn when it is necessary to replace the specific models in your home.

12. Make HVAC Repairs and Replacements Now

If your preventative maintenance uncovers issues that require correction, or you know of performance problems that need to be addressed from the past season, it’s time to have those repairs made. Even if your furnace or heat pump is still operational, delaying repairs is likely costing you. System efficiency greatly declines, and you’ll experience difficulties heating your home this winter if you forego repairs. Further damage could be inflicted upon your HVAC equipment, creating the need for more expensive repairs later on – or even make replacement a necessity rather than a simple possibility.

If a new furnace or heat pump is in sight, your best bet is to replace it before heating season as well. You’ll have the benefit of more flexible scheduling and have the time to fully research your options, so you don’t feel rushed making a critical decision quick when temperatures are dropping and your family has no heat.

13. Increase Insulation Levels

When your home does a better job holding in heat, it minimizes the amount of extra work the heating system must perform to make up for heat loss. Increasing insulation levels throughout attics and under floors enhances energy efficiency, so more of the heat your furnace or heat pump delivers stays inside for the benefit of your family. Insulation can be installed as a DIY project or professionally installed, and there are a variety of insulation products to choose from, including blown insulation and insulation batting available made from various materials.

Get Your Heating System Winter-Ready with Pro-Tech HVAC Home!

We’re still scheduling Fall preventative maintenance appointments in December and January 2024. Contact us or request a time online today so we can get you on our schedule! We’ll make sure your system is running in tip-top shape to keep you COMFY all Winter long! 

Pro-Tech HVAC Home is Your Top Rated Local HVAC Company!

When it comes to HVAC services, you need to work with a company with a stellar reputation for providing service that is guaranteed to solve your problems once and for all. As Annapolis’ Top Rated Local HVAC contractor, that’s what you get with Pro-Tech HVAC Home. Our customers rely on us for fast, friendly service at a fair price. Our #1 priority is keeping our Annapolis neighbors comfortable all year long!

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Pro-Tech HVAC Home offers new installation, replacement, repairs and maintenance of heating and air conditioning systems in the Annapolis area. Our customers rely on us for honest and reliable service for air conditioners, heat pumps, gas furnaces, Mitsubishi systems, and more. We’re happy to answer questions, troubleshoot, and help you choose the best HVAC system for you and your family. We’re always happy to help answer your questions, so please give us a call or send us an email.