The Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your HVAC System for Winter

by Brian Evans | Oct 10, 2024 | Maintenance, Heating, Furnace, Winter

There is no doubt that your HVAC system is under a heavier workload during the wintertime, trying to keep up the temperature to an acceptable and comfortable level. Because of this increased demand on the system, it would be wise for you, as the homeowner, to ensure that it will be up to task even before this happens during the coldest months of the year.

Electrostatic Air Cleaner and Air Filters

Preparing your HVAC system for winter will ensure that the chances of emergencies cropping up and requiring an HVAC technician are lowered. You would not want to have to face winter with an HVAC system that suddenly failed to work. Proper maintenance prolongs the life of your HVAC system, increases its efficiency, and contributes to energy savings for you. Spending a bit of time making sure that your HVAC system is in tip-top shape will give you that peace of mind knowing that you will have a warm and comfortable winter ahead. Plan to do this task sometime in the fall before you will need to really crank up the heat. Here are some of the ways you can prepare your HVAC system for winter:

1. Check Your Air Filter and Air Vents

The air filter traps dust, debris, and other air pollutants that will eventually render it dirty in time, and therefore, less efficient. Dirt can definitely accumulate in air vents, too, so this would be a great time to do a little dusting and cleaning to ensure maximum efficiency in air flow. Since it is important that the air is filtered before it reaches the coils of the air handling unit, one of the more manageable things to do is to check the filter. It is highly recommended that the air filter is replaced at least every three months. Changing the air filter is cheaper and easier to do than having to clean or even replace the coils.

2. Schedule a Biannual Maintenance Appointment

Go ahead and call a licensed HVAC technician to conduct a thorough inspection of your HVAC system so that he can fine tune any areas of concern and consequently enhance its efficiency. HVAC maintenance in this regard is recommended to be done preferably in the fall (before frigid temperatures hit) and in the spring (to prepare for the summer heat). Confirm with the technician what is included in the checkup, which would basically include:

heat exchanger inspection
safety tests
inspection and cleaning of burners
inspection and flushing of drain lines
checking thermostat and air filter

You can do a cursory checkup of your HVAC system by checking for abnormal sounds, odors, and presence of leaks (air or fluid). If these are concerns, mention these to your HVAC technician so that he can properly address them.

3. Test Your Thermostat for Readiness

moTo ensure and maintain your comfort as well as the safety features of your HVAC system, proper HVAC control is necessary. The thermostat is responsible for this and is the control unit that senses the temperature in your home. Make sure that it is in optimal shape by testing its function. Set your desired temperature points (by setting them higher than current room temperature) and notice how it switches from cool to heat. If the system seems to be struggling or making strange sounds, you can have this checked by an HVAC technician. Energy-efficient thermostats are a consideration if you’re thinking of increasing the effectiveness of your energy use. Replacing your old thermostat with a programmable or a smart thermostat will benefit you as you can set the times in conjunction with the temperature you desire. A smart thermostat has an added feature of being controlled remotely via your smart devices. You can test their functionality before winter by checking your scheduled temperatures and replacing the batteries if needed.

4. Check the Furnace by Turning It On

It is good practice to test that your furnace is functioning properly by turning it on way before it will need to stand up to the cold of winter. Do at least three separate tests on three different occasions (preferably in the fall) wherein you turn on the heating system and letting it run at a set temperature higher than the current room temp for about thirty minutes or so. Let your home environment reach that temp before turning it off. Obviously, if the heat is on but it is not reaching the set temperature, it is an issue that needs to be resolved. Additionally, while the heat is running, listen for abnormal sounds or strange smells such as burning plastic or electrical wires. Take note though, that if you haven’t turned on the heat for a while, there may be an initial “burning” smell that will eventually go away after the system has run for a few minutes.

5. Evaluate the Temperature and Create Climate Zones

To ensure that the temperature you want for a particular area in your home stays that way, one of the things you can prepare your HVAC system is to test if your system is heating up your home the way you want. The simplest and easiest way to do this is to go to all the areas/rooms in your home and taking note of whether the warmth you expected for those areas is sufficient or achieved

according to the temperature you already set. If not, check if there are vents that are obstructed or closed.

Another way to have more controlled heating is by creating climate zones. This will give you the control over what temperature you want for a room or particular zone in your home. A simple method of doing this is to close the vents of an upstairs room to force them to direct the heat downstairs where cooler air tends to settle. Additionally, if there are unoccupied areas in your home that you would rather not be heating up, you can save on your energy bills by zoning. A more precise method for this would be installation of a climate zone system by an HVAC technician.