HVAC Repair Tips for Homeowners

The HVAC company was happy to replace my condenser unit, but they had a limited stock available due to the market shortage.

My air conditioner was eleven years old when it went out at the beginning of summer. I’ve always known failure was a possibility because of the age of the central air conditioner. Most air conditioners live to be a decade old with the proper maintenance, but I was hoping that mine would live even longer with proper maintenance. I didn’t know how much maintenance the previous owners had done, but it didn’t appear to be much. I worked hard to have the HVAC system serviced twice per year and replaced the air filters every three months for better air quality. However, my efforts to make the air conditioner live longer were not enough. Nobody ever wants to pay for a new air conditioner, especially during the summer months, but I was not one of the lucky ones. When my condenser unit went out, I had no choice but to contact an HVAC company right away. I couldn’t live in my house without air conditioning, so the condenser unit needed to be replaced right away. The HVAC company was happy to replace my condenser unit, but they had a limited stock available due to the market shortage. Thankfully, they had a few options available and they were ready to be installed as quickly as possible. The new condenser unit I purchased had a SEER rating of 14 and it used environmentally friendly refrigerant. Although I didn’t have a lot of options to choose from, I was happy with my new condenser unit.

HVAC maintenance

I’ve always been adamant about replacing my air filter every two or three months.

I like knowing that my air is as clean as possible and that I’m taking care of my HVAC system as best as possible.

Most people don’t know this, but air filters aren’t just for improved air quality. In fact, air filters help protect the HVAC equipment too. Without the air filter, dust and debri would build up faster within the ductwork, causing holes, damage, and less efficiency. Typically, I buy my air filters at the local hardware store. Recently though, due to supply chain issues, HVAC filters have been harder to find. My usual air filter brand hasn’t been in stock for several months and the employees don’t seem to know when they’re going to receive more. They just can’t seem to get any shipped in and the price of everything is increasing. Knowing this information, I had to find a different air filter brand to choose from. My first reaction was to choose an air filter that was the right size and actually in stock. However, as I browsed the air filter section at the hardware store for the first time in years, I discovered a plethora of new options to choose from. Not only were there different air filter brands, but some were HEPA certified, some were reusable, and some were long lasting. When I was leaving the hardware store with my new selection of air filters, I was actually excited to try out something new.

air conditioning filter

I was having issues with my furnace for several months and my parents were tired of hearing me complain about it.

To their defense, I was constantly complaining about the furnace and not doing anything to fix it.

I knew I needed to replace the air filter more and pay more attention to the ductwork, but I couldn’t seem to find the time or energy to devote to it. During a rant about the malfunctions I was experiencing, my dad suggested that I contact the HVAC company before my warranty expired. I had completely forgotten about my warranty, and I wish I would have called the HVAC company sooner about it. This would have saved me a lot of stress and anxiety. When I contacted the HVAC company about the issues I was experiencing, they happily sent an HVAC professional to my house to service the furnace. After examining my furnace, the HVAC professional told me that there was a specific part I needed to replace. He said it was covered in the warranty, but my warranty expired next week and the part was on major backorder. Upon hearing this, my heart began to sink because I felt so irresponsible and disappointed in myself. If I would have been more proactive about my furnace, I wouldn’t have been in this terrible predicament. Thankfully, the HVAC professional was able to swing something and the part would still be covered under warranty as long as I ordered it that afternoon. I know I’ll never make that mistake again.

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In an attempt to freshen up some things around the house, I decided to replace all the outlet covers and switches along with the air vents.

I’d recently painted the walls and I felt like the covers and vents were grimy and discolored.

Everything would look more cohesive and clean if I replaced them all. I hired an electrician to come do the electrical work first. That seemed like the biggest job in my mind and there was no way I could do the work myself. It took the electrician one day of work to replace all the switches, receptacles and outlet covers and I was really happy with how they looked. However, I was a little shocked by the bill. I thought it would be much cheaper than it was, but I was determined to have it done. Since I couldn’t do the electrical work myself, I had to hire someone else to do it. The air vents though, I felt confident enough to do myself. It took me much longer than a day, because I had to measure everything and place my order online. I had no idea there were so many air vent covers to choose from. Not only were the sizes different, but there were different shapes, some were decorative, and some were adjustable. Of course the pricing differed for all of them too. The longest part of the air vent installation was choosing which air vent covers I wanted! Once I had everything selected and it arrived, I was able to easily remove the old covers and put the new ones on.

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