{"id":4776,"date":"2024-09-30T12:27:08","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T17:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/?p=4776"},"modified":"2024-09-30T12:27:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T17:27:15","slug":"best-five-pa-winter-heating-maintenance-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/best-five-pa-winter-heating-maintenance-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Five PA Winter Heating Maintenance Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winter Heating Maintenance Tips to Help You Save Money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Save
Fall is here but winter is coming and it could be a cold one. Check out our five winter heating maintenance tips to help you cut your energy usage and save more on your electricity bills.<\/em><\/center><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Winter is a beautiful time of year, filled with holiday joy and soft blankets of snow. But it can also be a nightmare if your heating system breaks down, leaving you in the cold! With our busy lives, maintaining your HVAC<\/a> may not be your top priority. But regular tune-ups will keep your system running efficiently, preventing high electricity bills<\/a>. Check out these tips to prep your heating system for winter and save on your electricity bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare Your Outdoor Heating Unit for Winter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fall weather means cooler temperatures but it also means lots of leaves falling into the outside condenser unit of your HVAC. But while fall is a good time to prep your AC for next<\/em> summer, it’s also very important<\/em> to do it now if you have a heat pump. That’s because leaf litter and dirt can prevent your heat pump from running efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by turning off your HVAC system and then turning off the unit’s breaker switch. Next, remove any leave, sticks, or other debris from in and around the condenser. Then, check the condensing coils and cooling fins for clumps of dust and dirt. For tough cleaning jobs, use a foaming coil cleaner and wash it away with your garden hose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don’t turn your breaker back on yet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clean Your Condensate Drain Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As your HVAC cools your home, it also reduces the humidity in the air. The condensate drain line on your HVAC drains away water that condenses out of the air when it’s cooled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the winter, keeping this drain clear is very important<\/em> If you have a high efficiency gas furnace. That’s because natural gas contains a small amount of water vapor. High efficiency gas furnaces will condense water<\/a> out of the exhaust. HVAC installers will usually connect the condensate drain lines from the furnace and the AC system into a single drain line that runs to a floor drain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mold and dirt can clog drain lines over time. If water can’t drain away, the back up can stop your furnace from running.

First, locate the drain line. Look for a small pvc pipe connecting to the HVAC. There’s usually a T-joint with an open end. Next, pour hot water and vinegar into the open end of the T-joint to flush out the line. If it’s clogged, use a wet\/dry vac to suction out the clog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once this is done, you can turn your system back on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Heating and Air Filters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Replacing a dirty filter can lower your HVAC energy use by 5% to 15%? Plus, changing a dirty filter can greatly improve your home’s air quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few different kinds of filters to choose from. The most common are Fiberglass, Pleated, Reusable, and HEPA air filters. Filters also have a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values) rating, that tells you how “fine” your filter is. Make sure when replacing your HVAC filters, you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the filter type and MERV rating<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaky Ductwork Maintenance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Also be sure to check for leaks in the ductwork<\/a>! Holes, gaps, and loose connections all cause the heat to escape to where you don’t need it. That wastes valuable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While your unit is running, wet the back of your hand and feel for leaking airflow. Look for holes, gaps and tears in your ductwork. When you go to seal your ductwork, avoid vinyl duct tape. It seldom lasts a year. Use only aluminum ductwork or duct mastic for a lasting seal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open and Clean Vents <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, inspect your vents and registers. Dust or dirt buildup can reduce your HVAC efficiency, so it’s recommended to regularly clean and vacuum around vents. Lastly, make sure that the vents are all open and unobstructed by furniture or rugs. Closing off unused rooms<\/a> can actually damage your HVAC! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the Best Electricity Rate for Winter Heating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully you feel better prepared for the winter! But did you know you can shop for a better electricity rate<\/a>? The right electricity rate will have you feeling cozy all year long. Compare providers, read reviews<\/a>, and find the right plan for you. Visit https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter Heating Maintenance Tips to Help You Save Money Winter is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mbp_gutenberg_autopost":false},"categories":[4,63,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4776"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4801,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776\/revisions\/4801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}