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The holiday season is coming up, and your family is all ready to go on vacation. You might be thinking of completely shutting down your HVAC system since nobody will be in the house anyway. This trick might indeed reduce your electricity bill this month. But that is not a good idea for the future.
Turning off your HVAC system for vacation may cause problems by the time you get back home. Winter may cause your pipes to freeze. Summer may cause mold to build up. Your machine efficiency will decrease if you leave it completely off for quite some time.
Clean Everything Up
Dust and debris buildup may cause a lot of problems with performance and efficiency. Therefore, never leave your house with a dirty HVAC system, especially dirty air filters. These accumulate dirt faster than any other part of the machine. You should change them before vacation if you think they might be too dirty when you get back.
Install a Surge Protector
Another thing you need to anticipate is a power surge or outage. The chances that it will happen are small, yet it may cause serious damage if it happens. You might need to consider buying a surge protector. The tool is inexpensive, yet very useful in avoiding a horrible risk.
Open All the Vents
Restricted airflow will cause efficiency issues with your HVAC system. Therefore, make sure you leave all the vents open before leaving for your vacation. Also check whether anything else is blocking the airflow.
Lock Your Windows and Curtains
Locking your windows provides more benefits than just protecting you from burglars. It also helps your HVAC system maintain its utmost efficiency. The window curtains need to all be closed too, so the heat from the sun won’t force your machine to work harder.
Check the Exterior Unit
People sometimes neglect their exterior unit simply because it is located out of their plain sight. While you don’t have to check it out every day, you at least need to leave it in good condition when leaving the house.
Look out for anything that restricts the airflow out of the unit as it may cause inefficiency and damage. Put away plants that are too close and trim any surrounding shrubs that are within about 2 feet of the unit.
Turn On Your Thermostat
Since your HVAC machine will be left turned on, you need to completely rely on your thermostat to get it under control. We recommend setting your thermostat 5 degrees higher than usual if you leave the house in the summer, or 5 degrees lower in the winter. This way your machine will spend less energy than usual. Again, never think about leaving your HVAC system turned off for too long as it poses more risks than benefits.
Vacation is fun. But once you get back home, you feel exhausted. All you want to do is lie down on your bed. Imagine having to force yourself up to work on repairing your HVAC system because you did not prepare it right before taking off. Do not let this happen to you.
For more information, see: Does An AC Require Service Every Year?
ECM Air Conditioning, with its headquarters located in Boynton Beach, FL, provides air conditioning services within Palm Beach County, Broward County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County. If you’re having issues with your HVAC system, we’re on-call and ready to assist you with your air conditioning needs. So if you’re in need of an HVAC contractor, don’t hesitate to contact us today to schedule an air conditioning service call diagnostic! Our HVAC experts will diagnose any issues that may be occurring with your HVAC system and help to repair your AC issue on the spot.
Best of all, because ECM is the largest HVAC company in South Florida, our 69,000 square foot local warehouse facility houses over $1 million in inventory and fully stocks our 127 vehicles on the road, making us one of the very few AC service companies capable of repairing most issues right on the spot. That means no waiting and no downtime without air conditioning for you and your family in the blistering Florida heat!
Call us at 561-295-1763 or contact our HVAC team online by clicking here.
