Seasonal Tips Winter

Use a Set-back Thermostat

Electronic set-back thermostats can reduce your gas bill by up to 20%. Set the temperature to the low 60's when you are at work or school and to your desired temperature when you come home. Also reduce the temperature when you go to bed. The electronic thermostat works like a computer and remembers your settings so there is no need to manually turn down the temperature.

Invest in a high efficiency air cleaner

Typically the winter months are too cold to open up the windows in your home. Most homes have more pollution built up then the outdoors. Standard furnace filters only trap about 3% of the contaminants in a home. Air cleaners attached to the furnace can clean up to 99% of the contaminants in a home. Click here for further details.

Have the furnace clean and checked

Typically this is done in the fall, before heavy furnace operation. But, if you haven't had the furnace cleaned in the fall, do it in the winter. Having a professional clean and check the furnace does the following:

1. decreases gas bills

2. decreases chance of getting CO poisoning

3. keeps warranty intact

Do vent adjustments

Warm air rises. Some people slightly close the vents in the second story of a two-story home and open the vents in the first floor all the way. This evens out the air temperature in some homes. If heating the second floor is a big issue more vents could be installed in the second floor. Call for more details.

Change your humidifier pad/filter/water panel

Typically the humidifier pad should be changed in the fall, but if you haven't done so change it now. Humidifier filters should be changed at least once a year in most areas. In areas that are using well water the pad might have to be changed more than once a year. You should change the pad if you notice it is beginning to deteriorate. A deteriorating pad will cause the humidifier to use more water, costing you more money. In some cases a deteriorated pad will cause water to overflow into your furnace. This could harm the heat exchanger in your furnace costing you expensive repairs.

Do not cover your outside condenser coil with a plastic cover

Some people during the fall or winter cover their outside condenser coil with a full plastic or cloth cover. This is not a good idea because a full cover makes a nice home for rodents or bugs that will chew away at the electrical insulation and cause your A/C not to work when you need it. If you want to cover your outside condenser coil cut a piece of plywood and place on top of the unit. Then place a few heavy bricks over the plywood to stop the wood from blowing off the top of the condenser in strong winds.

Replace your furnace or air cleaner filter media

It is critical to your systems operation and your comfort to replace the standard one inch filter once a month and the wider 3-5" accordion, pleated, filter media a minimum of every six months. An electronic air cleaner needs to be washed every 30-60 days. Dirty furnace filters of any kind could cause the following situations.

Your air conditioner could ice-up and damage the compressor.
The furnace heat exchanger could warp and crack causing CO to enter the air you breathe. This is very unhealthy for children and the elderly.
Not enough air flow to some rooms in your home.
Much higher electric and gas bills than normal.
Much higher repair bills
More mold, mildew and bacteria growing on the indoor evaporator coil then normal, causing discomfort to those who have allergies and asthma. The indoor evaporator coil is located just above or below the furnace.

Avoid the use of one inch wide pleated filter media. Right out of the box, they reduce air flow too much and can cause all of the above problems. We have a lot of proof if this.

If you decide to purchase filter media from the store you should be aware of the following: Store bought, "knock-off", wider, pleated filters fill up more quickly and need to be replaced every two months.

For further information on filter maintenance click here.