Does My Furnace Shut Down for Summer?
Once the weather cools off, you might shut down your air conditioner and even put a cover over it until spring arrives again. Your furnace does not work in quite in the same way. This is what your indoor HVAC equipment may do for your home, all year long.
What Does My Indoor HVAC System Do?
Although your furnace is located inside and your air conditioning condenser sits outside, you need both in order for your air conditioning to work. Otherwise, the condenser would only be able to influence air outside. Often located with your furnace is the evaporator coil, a piece of equipment that uses refrigerant to remove heat from the air. At that point, the furnace may act like an air handler to circulate and blow the air through your ductwork. The air filters for your Sacramento HVAC system are usually located with the furnace as well. Air filters prevent debris from invading the equipment and damaging it, which is particularly important to the effective function of the evaporator coil.
Switching From Heating to Cooling
A well-built system that was expertly installed makes switching from heating to cooling very simple. In most cases, all you have to do is change your thermostat from heating to cooling and test to make sure that it seems to work effectively. There is no need to manually shut off your furnace, because certain parts within the furnace are necessary for air conditioner function. Since you should clean or change your air filters at least once a season, this is also an excellent time to set up your system for another three months of effective filtration.
When to Arrange Professional Service
For best practices, you should schedule regular service for your HVAC equipment just before the season you need the equipment most. As such, your furnace works best with professional maintenance in the fall, and air conditioning in the spring. If you ordered fall maintenance and your furnace seemed to work fabulously well all winter long, you can safely start to shift over to cooling without worry. If you had noticed some issues with furnace output, efficiency or any strange sounds, scheduling service for your furnace in the spring is ideal. Otherwise, you may forget about the problem until you need heat again.
Preparing Your Air Conditioner for Spring
Spring maintenance helps to get your air conditioner ready for a summer of regular use. First, you should remove any cover that was placed on the exterior unit to protect it. If the unit is dirty, you can shut off the power and clean the outside with a stiff brush or a damp cloth. When all the equipment seems to be in good condition, you should try turning on the air conditioner to see how it works. Requesting professional maintenance for your air conditioner will confirm that all aspects of your indoor and outdoor systems are in proper shape for summer.
Not having to shut down your furnace for the year makes preparing for the cooling season that much easier. To arrange for professional service on your HVAC system, contact us at Ace Air Conditioning.