HVAC Preventive Maintenance Checklist For Spring

home living room
Is there anything better than stepping out of your house on that first warm morning in April, filling your lungs with sweet, fresh air and saying out loud to anyone who will listen, “It’s SPRING!”?

Spring opens the door for all sorts of fun recreational opportunities, but taking a few minutes to complete a walkaround of your HVAC system now will help keep your cooling system ready to work at peak efficiency when summer gets here.

Having a Spring HVAC checklist will help you be completely prepared:

  • Install an air purifier to remove germs, allergens and mold—your indoor air will be much cleaner!
  • Change your air filters. Dirty filters restrict airflow, causing your cooling system to work harder than necessary and decreasing its energy efficiency. You should be doing this year round, but paying particular attention to your air filter now that spring is here—bringing all those allergens with it—will help make your indoor world more comfortable.
  • Clean floor registers and air vents. Take these all the way out and scrub them thoroughly with warm, soapy water to get rid of pet hair, dust, and other debris. Wipe them down to dry before reinstalling.
  • Dust your ceiling fan blades. You might be surprised by how dirty and dusty your ceiling fan blades get. If a thorough dusting doesn’t do the trick, use a well rung-out cloth and lots of elbow grease.
  • Clean the exhaust hood and the duct over the oven to make sure air circulates well and you have proper ventilation.
  • Wash those windows. Dirty, dusty glass isn’t just unsightly; it can also harbor mold, allergens, and dust.
  • Upgrade to a smart thermostat to automate your cooling needs and save money.
  • Clear the area around the outdoor unit. Winds and storms may push plant debris around or on top of your air conditioner. Take a few minutes to clear the area around the outdoor unit to ensure adequate air flow.
  • Check the air conditioner drain line. Excess moisture created during the cooling process flows out of the unit through a line that looks like a hose. Once the AC has been running for a few hours, check that drain line and look for water flowing slowly through it. There shouldn’t be a lot of water, but if you don’t see any, the line may be clogged.

One of the smartest things you can do to prepare for warmer weather is to schedule a professional tune-up of your HVAC system now while the weather is still mild. No matter how careful you are, you can’t see everything that may be going on inside your unit. A professional tune-up will head off more costly repairs and prevent your AC from tanking in the middle of a Mid-Atlantic summer.

Think about it. When you live in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, or West Virginia, there’s just no “good time” in July or August for your HVAC unit to go south on you. Control what you can and get your system evaluated and serviced now!