Why do I need to change my filter so often?
Without a doubt, one of the most important elements in your residential or commercial heating and air conditioning system is the filter. The air filter's job is to remove dirt, dust, mold, pet hair and other contaminants from the air circulating in your home.
The filter keeps these contaminants from recirculating throughout your home. It also keeps them from clogging important components in your system, like the air handler.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, affectionately known as the EPA, you should check the condition of your filter every month. If the filters look even the slightest bit dirty, then they are dirty. Change them.
At any rate, you should change the filters the filter every three months. This is especially true for heavy-use seasons like summer and winter. Some larger systems, especially commercial systems use more than one filter. Repeat for each one of them.
Should I cover my outdoor unit in the Fall and Winter?
No. You should never operate an outdoor unit when it is covered. Covering your outdoor unit will impede the necessary airflow and can cause severe system damage.
A typical residential heating and air conditioning system is a heat pump. That means that the outside unit is used to both cool your home in the summer and to heat your home in the winter.
In the winter the system works in reverse of the way that it does in the summer. Both the indoor unit and the outdoor unit must have clear airflow to work, efficiently and safely.
That is why regular filter changes are so important on the inside of the home. It is also a very good idea to have the outdoor unit inspected and cleaned prior to each winter season. A Preventive Maintenance Program can help ensure that the interior and the exterior parts of your system are running at peak efficiency.
Find out about our Preventive Maintenance Agreement Plans for both Residential and Commercial Systems.
Do noises in my heating and air conditioning unit mean something serious?
Unusual noises are a concern in virtually every mechanical device, from your automobiles to your heating and air conditioning system.
It is safe to say that any new sound that persists should be investigated by a heat and air professional. It may be nothing, but it may also signal the start of a major problem.
The professional technician team at Miller Noble Heating & Air Conditioning of Lawton, OK can do an inspection of your system and recommend the right action.
To uncovering potential problems before they become noises, consider a Preventive Maintenance Agreement for your home or business.
How can I improve the air quality inside my home?
The quality of the air inside your home is more critical than ever under the current Shelter In Place Regulations that we find ourselves under.
We are spending far greater amounts of time inside our homes than we have ever done. This is especially as we move into a beautiful Oklahoma springtime and summer.
Pet hair, dust, pollen, and other microscopic objects can be trapped inside our homes with us.
What do we do?
The first thing to remember is to keep the system's filter replaced on schedule. An overloaded filter can begin to leak and cause problems within your heat and air system. If a filter fails, it will allow particles to bypass the paper element of the filter and get caught on the walls of your ducts.
Once the inside of the ducts becomes contaminated there is little else to do but to arrange a professional duct cleaning.
At Miller Noble Heating & Air Conditioning of Lawton, OK, we offer comprehensive Preventive Maintenance Programs so that routine, scheduled maintenance tasks get done when they should.
See our articles on Duct Cleaning and Preventive Maintenance Programs of Home and Business.