Thanksgiving is just around the corner about to kick off the holiday season. With all the hustle and bustle this time of year, it’s easy to forget about the technology that provides our everyday needs — such as our heating and cooling units. Before the holidays arrive, it’s important to take some time to prep your home and check your HVAC units to ensure they are working and are in prime condition. This will help reduce the chances of mishaps or system failures with your holiday heating.

Effective Holiday Heating is All About Preparation

Imagine you’re hosting a holiday party for all of your friends and neighbors. You’re expecting a large guest list. You've spent days on end in the kitchen making all of the food necessary (well, except that pumpkin pie which you made a mad dash to the grocery to purchase an hour before guests arrived). It’s all prepped, ready and guests are arriving. Then disaster strikes. The heat goes out.  Oh no. How could this have happened? As you were busy prepping for the party your holiday heating was slowly dwindling, because you forgot to do some routine maintenance and checks before winter arrived. Frantic, you make an immediate call to your HVAC technician (who cannot come until the next day) and hope the large number of guests will help keep your home warm enough until you can find the heaters in your attic. Don’t let this happen to you! Use these helpful tips to be prepared and ready before the hustle and bustle of the holiday heating season arrives.

Tip #1 - Dust Your Home

As simple as it sounds, a good dusting around your home is essential to your heating and cooling system’s well being and longevity. Dust that gathers in your home can lead to problems for your HVAC system and spread into the ductwork throughout your home, causing even more issues. The more you dust, the less of a chance dust will get into the air and accumulate in your HVAC system and ductwork. We’re often deep cleaning this time of year before putting up holiday decor and welcoming guests into our homes for parties and gatherings, so why not take care of this task, too? Here’s how to easily dust your home:

• First, grab an old towel (one that you won’t miss).
• Second, dampen the towel and wipe any exposed surface around your home that has gathered dust or is prone to dust exposure.
• When finished, put the towel in the washer to clean off the dust particles it collected (but we recommend only using this towel for dusting purposes from now on).

Remember — Don’t miss the air vents! This is where dust likes to gather and how the dust settles back into your home.

TIP #2 - Change Your Air Filters

This simple maintenance task is often ignored, but it is a job that is so important. Changing your air filters routinely helps maintain quality air within your home and keeps your holiday heating at top performance. It’s very simple to change your air filters as long as you have the correct air filters in your home. Remember — you need to change your air filters every month! Of course, if you're like me, you always forget to pick up air filters at the store. Don't worry! You can order air filters online from us whenever you need.

TIP #3 - Don't Neglect Your Air Vents

Far too often, homeowners miss cleaning the air vents when dusting. Yet, this task is so important for the overall “health” of your home. Air vents easily collect dust and other particles that can decrease the quality of air within your home. How to easily clean air vents:

• Remove the vents completely.
• Wash and wipe both sides thoroughly (dust likes to collect on both the front and back of the air vents).
• Let the vents dry, then put them back in.

Simple!

TIP #4 - Turn Down the Thermostat

The holidays bring lots of opportunities for cooking which means the oven will be used frequently and increase the temperate in the kitchen. This extra heat will help warm your entire home. Because the oven is helping to warm your home, you can turn your thermostat down to balance the temperature level. We recommend turning it down a few degrees to the temperature you’re most comfortable with.

TIP #5 - Don't Avoid Routine Maintenance

Decrease the chance of a serious problem occurring with your holiday heating by having the system checked by a trained pro before the crunch time. Routine maintenance of HVAC units includes:

• Thermostat check
• Airflow checks
• Duct inspection
• Capacitor testing
• Safety control tests
• Compressor operation check
• And more!

All we want you to worry about this holiday season is where to seat those last-minute guests and where to fit the leftovers in your fridge — not your holiday heating.