The autumn months are the perfect time to prepare your home for some seasonal changes. In the area, daytime temperatures are almost always warm and comfortable. However, you will need to start preparing for chilly nights to make sure your home is always comfortable. Follow these tips to get your heat pump system ready for the seasons ahead.
Schedule a Tune-Up
A heat pump does double-duty in your home, providing both heating and cooling for your living space. This means that you should ideally schedule two maintenance visits for the system each year. In the fall, your heat pump maintenance is focused on the system’s heating function. Our technicians will carefully prepare the system for the cooler months ahead and make sure that it’s prepared to switch efficiently from cooling mode to heating mode when the time is right.
As part of your routine maintenance visit, our technicians will typically:
- Inspect the coils and other internal components
- Remove debris from around the outdoor unit
- Clean the supply and return registers
- Straighten fins on the registers
- Inspect the filters and change as needed
Change the Air Filter
Changing the air filter for your heat pump system is something that you can and should do for yourself seasonally. It’s important to change the air filters in your home at least once every three months. If you have a lot of dust, dirt, dander, or pet hair in your home, you may need to change your filters more frequently. It’s a good idea to give the filter a quick visual inspection monthly to see if you need a new one.
A clean filter promotes smooth and efficient airflow. Getting rid of the dirty filter will remove some potential allergens like dust and pollen from the home so you can enjoy cleaner, healthier air as autumn rolls in.
Check Your Thermostat Settings
Take a look at your thermostat settings and make sure you’re using efficient temperatures as the season changes. When you transition from cooling to heating in late autumn or early winter, you’ll want to begin keeping your home cooler so you use less energy. Turn the thermostat temperature down several degrees from where you’d keep it in the summer. This will help your utility bills stay as low as possible.
You should also be mindful of when you want to change your heat pump setting from cooling to heating. In the area, nighttime lows typically stay in the 60s through October. By November or December, you may begin to want some heating at night as average lows dip into the 50s. However, in a hot period, the daytime highs could still have you reaching for the cooling switch. Make sure you know what your system is set to so you can manage your temperatures properly.
For help preparing your heat pump for fall, call our team at Del-Air. We can assist you with all your routine maintenance needs to make sure you’re comfortable in every season.
