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While many areas of Oregon don’t experience the same extreme cold as other regions of the country, running your heating throughout the long winter can still be a major expense. This is especially true if you don’t take the necessary steps to prepare your HVAC system and keep it properly maintained. Preparing and maintaining your HVAC system also helps ensure it can run throughout the winter without breaking down and continues working effectively for as many years as possible.

Replace the Air Filter

HVAC professionals always recommend replacing your heating system’s air filter before turning it on for the first time each fall. You should then replace it every one to three months until you can finally shut your heating off in the spring. It’s difficult to say exactly how often you’ll need to replace the filter, as no two homes or HVAC systems are exactly alike. If you have dogs or cats, pet hair will cause the filter to clog more quickly and need to be replaced more often. The same is true if you don’t keep up with dusting and vacuuming/sweeping the floors near all of your return air vents. You should also replace the filter more frequently if the winter is colder and your heating system has to run more.

Dirty air filters can significantly reduce heating performance and result in your HVAC system staying on for longer. Air filters continually get more clogged with dust and debris, which reduces the volume of air that can flow through them. The result of this is that the blower draws less air into the furnace and the air handler, leading to the HVAC system putting out less hot air and heating more slowly.

A dirty filter also puts more strain on the system and can lead to it breaking down or components like the blower motor wearing out faster. If you continually fail to replace the filter often enough, it will almost always shorten the system’s lifespan as well.

Another concern, if you have a furnace, is that a dirty filter can cause it to overheat. Even though furnaces have a safety switch that causes them to shut down if they overheat, excessive heat can still do significant damage. The biggest risk is that it increases the chances of the heat exchanger cracking, potentially resulting in the HVAC system blowing carbon monoxide throughout the house.

Keep Vents Open and Clear

One mistake far too many people make is closing or blocking off the vents in unoccupied rooms. The thought behind this is that it will make the HVAC system heat the other parts of the house faster so that it runs less and uses less energy. This idea may sound good in theory. However, the truth is that closed, clogged or blocked vents decrease the efficiency of an HVAC system and result in your heating costs being higher than they would be if all of the vents are open.

If too many vents are closed, it results in more air coming into the HVAC system than it’s putting out. The heated air then continually builds up inside of the supply ducts, creating additional resistance that makes it harder for the system to circulate air throughout the entire duct system. The result is that less air flows out of all of the vents, leading to slower, more uneven heating and higher utility bills. Closed or obstructed vents can be an especially big problem if you have a furnace, as they can lead to it overheating.

You can usually keep a few vents closed without much of a problem, but make sure that at least 75% of them are open. You should also regularly check that nothing is obstructing the airflow coming out of the vents and that the covers aren’t clogged with dust and hair.

Clear Debris, Snow and Ice From Around the Outdoor Unit

A growing number of Oregon homeowners are making the switch to heat pumps due to all of the benefits they provide and the advantages they have over traditional HVAC systems. Cold-climate heat pump systems can continue working effectively in temperatures well below zero degrees while using much less energy than other options, like furnaces and boilers. However, this is only if the area around the outdoor unit is kept clear so that it has sufficient clearance and receives steady airflow.

If a heat pump isn’t receiving enough air, it won’t be able to heat nearly as effectively and may not work sufficiently well to keep the house warm. That means you’ll need to rely much more on the system’s auxiliary heat strips, which will result in a substantial increase in your heating bills. If the airflow is blocked off, the compressor may also frequently overheat and cause the unit to automatically shut down.

These issues are why you should regularly check the unit to ensure the sides aren’t clogged with leaves and debris and remove any debris that’s piled up against it. Whenever it snows, you also need to clear at least a 2- to 3-foot path around the unit. You don’t need to worry about snow getting inside the unit, though, as the heat radiating off the compressor will cause it to melt fairly quickly.

Schedule Professional Maintenance

The most important part of preparing your HVAC system for the winter is hiring a licensed HVAC company to maintain and inspect it. Yearly heating maintenance helps to prevent a wide range of issues that can lead to poor performance and increasingly high energy bills. It can also save you money by extending the life of your HVAC system and avoiding problems that could lead to a costly repair bill.

Servicing an HVAC system is fairly complex and involves a variety of tasks that can really only be properly performed by a trained, skilled technician. The necessary tasks also vary depending on the make, model and type of heating system you have.

If you have a heat pump, having a technician clean both of the coils is hugely important, as dirty coils can lead to a 20%-30% decrease in efficiency. Heat pump systems also need to defrost more frequently if the outdoor coil is dirty, which can result in the auxiliary heat strips running more. For gas furnaces, scheduling annual maintenance and inspections not only helps improve performance and efficiency. It’s also crucial for avoiding potential fire hazards and the threat of potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. Scheduling maintenance now is the best way to avoid mid-winter surprises.

Prepare Your Heating System Now

Jco Heating A/C Electrical is a family-owned and -operated company that’s been serving residential and commercial customers in Springfield, Eugene and the surrounding areas for more than two decades. Our highly skilled, NATE-certified technicians are ready to assist with all of your heating needs and ensure your heating costs stay as low as possible this winter. We also offer professional AC maintenance to help you stay cool throughout the summer. We work with top brands like American Standard and Mitsubishi, and our team can service HVAC equipment from any other manufacturer as well.

To schedule service and ensure that your heating system is ready for the coming winter, contact us today.