It is important to understand the various myths about heating and cooling. This is because some of these myths can actually be damaging to your system. It is important to ensure that you take the steps to understand these myths about heating and cooling. This will protect your system and improve the temperature regulation inside of your building. Here are a few incredibly common myths about heating and cooling that you need to learn to maintain a comfortable environment inside of your home.
Closing Vents in Unused Rooms will Save Energy
When you don’t use a room inside of your building, you likely think that regulating the temperature within it will be a waste. However, you can’t simply reduce your energy expenses by closing the vents or keeping the door shut. This is essentially just putting an obstacle in the way of your system’s air flow. This just puts additional pressure on your system, which often causes leaks. When the system overcompensates for closed vents, it is far more likely to become damaged or wear down more quickly.
Space Heaters Can Resolve Cold Spots
Cold or hot spots throughout your home mean that your HVAC system isn’t cooling or heating the building as it is intended to. Using space heaters when there is a cold spot in the building is essentially putting a band-aid over the problem, rather than doing anything to fix it. There are many issues that can result in uneven cooling throughout your home. It may indicate that your insulation needs assistance or that there is a leak in your system. It is a better option to ensure that the issue with your HVAC system is resolved, rather than using a space heater to temporarily resolve the problem. It is also important to note that the longer a problem goes without being repaired, the more likely it is that the initial issue will escalate. It is important to contact a professional when you notice uneven cooling throughout your home.
Maintenance isn’t Important
Maintenance is a service that is often overlooked until there is an actual issue with the system. It is crucial to ensure that you regularly provide maintenance to your HVAC system. This will help to extend the lifetime of your HVAC system, which helps to reduce regular repair and replacement expenses. This helps to prevent issues with your system that can cause an incredibly uncomfortable environment. With regular maintenance, you help to ensure that your system continues to work as efficiently as possible, which can reduce your energy expenses.
Bigger is Better
When you choose a furnace or air conditioner for your home, it will be extremely important to ensure that you choose a unit that is the appropriate size for your property. Bigger furnaces or cooling units won’t necessarily be more effective. There are many issues that can occur when you install a cooling unit or furnace that is too large. This is because a unit that is too powerful will turn on and off in short bursts. This causes the system to undertake much more wear, which leads to issues cropping up more quickly. When you have a system that is too small, it won’t be capable of regulating the temperature within the property. It is important to work with a professional to ensure that you choose the right sized unit for your property.
Filters Only Need to be Changed Yearly
It is important to change your air filters far more frequently than once each year. You need to change your air filter every 90 days in order to keep your system in good condition. However, it is also important to keep in mind that there are some aspects that may require you to change your air filter more frequently. For example, if there are individuals with respiratory issues that live within the home or pets that shed, the air filter may need to be changed more frequently than 90 days. You also need to regularly have air ducts cleaned by a professional, such as our team at Fresh Ducts.
Oversetting the Temperature Leads to Faster Regulation
Many people are under the misconception that setting the temperature too high or too low will ensure that the system will heat or cool the room more quickly. However, this isn’t the case. The system generally only functions at one speed. When it is trying to cool or heat the property, it will turn on, but it won’t do more than that. When you overshoot the temperature in an attempt to get it to regulate more quickly, the machine will have to work longer. This increases your energy expenses and places more wear on the system.
The Location of the Thermostat is Unimportant
It is a common idea that the thermostat needs to only be located in a convenient area. However, the thermostat has a huge impact on the regulation of your HVAC system. It reads the temperature inside of the building, which is why it needs to be in a place that will provide accurate readings. Due to this, the thermostat should not be in a location that will impact the temperature in that specific spot. This includes places like near vents, in direct sunlight, or by ovens and stoves. Hallways also often have a different air flow than other rooms inside of the building, which is a reason you should avoid putting thermostats in the hallway.
It is important to understand common heating and cooling myths in order to protect your system and the atmosphere within your home. When you don’t understand these myths, it is far more likely that damage will occur to your system. It is similarly important to ensure that you have your air ducts cleaned regularly in order to improve the efficiency of your system and the air quality within your home. Our experienced team at Fresh Ducts can help to provide this service, which will go a long way toward improving the condition of your duct system. To learn more about the services that we offer, contact us at Fresh Ducts today!
