Fall is one of the most unpredictable seasons in the Carolinas. It’s warm during the day but as the sun sets earlier and leaves turn, cool evenings arrive. In these times of transition, regular maintenance from an MTB Mechanical technician will help maximize the effectiveness of your system.
When your technician isn’t there, here are five additional steps you can take to make sure your home is as comfortable as possible, no matter what is happening outdoors:
1. Inspect Your Registers and Furnace
After sitting dormant all summer long, doing a once-over on your heating system will prevent small issues from popping up. Take a look at your registers (air vents) to assure they’re open and not being blocked by things like furniture or long, draping curtains. Wiping them with a damp rag will also remove the dust and debris that would otherwise be blown into the air and around your home when the heat is turned on. Also, check around your furnace itself for any debris that may have fallen on or around it to prevent potential fire hazards.
2. Make Sure Your Home is Air-Tight
Gaps in caulking and weather stripping can make a big impact on your energy bill. Before truly cold weather arrives and your heat is running constantly, make sure areas around doors and windows are sealed. New weather stripping and caulking on any suspect areas can save your heating bill and you from feeling a draft.
3. Manage Temperature Fluctuation
With drastic changes from warm to cold, fall can feel like a constant swap between your HVAC’s heating and cooling modes. Adjusting your thermostat up just a few degrees makes an impact. For every degree you raise the setting, you could be decreasing your unit’s power consumption by seven percent.
Take advantage of cooler fall evenings by opening your windows. Turning on ceiling fans also helps circulate that cooler air. As the heat begins to rise during the day, you can go back to closed windows and air conditioning. But this is the best season to put fresh air to work whenever and wherever you can.
4. Control the Humidity
A humidifier is a blessing in winter when the heat is running non-stop and moisture is scarce. Humidifiers eliminate dry skin, lips and noses, as well as scratchy throats, static electricity, cracks in floors – even warped furniture and chipping paint. Portable units are a cheap option but are inefficient, requiring a lot of upkeep and treating just a small space. A whole home humidifier is a more viable solution and, if you act now, you can save with MTB’s special on Aprilaire® 800 Steam Humidifiers.
5. Focus on Air Quality
Your air conditioner has been working nonstop to keep you cool all summer. Don’t forget to change your filters, especially before switching over to heat.
During the autumn months, ragweed, goldenrod and other weeds in bloom can wreak havoc on your allergies. Aside from taking allergy medicine, installing an indoor air purifier can help keep your allergies at bay. Air purifiers filter the allergy-inducing tiny particles out of indoor air. November is usually the worst month for allergies in Charlotte, so get a head start on the season before it peaks.
To head into fall confidently, schedule your heating maintenance check with an MTB technician. You can also schedule a consultation to discuss setting up your home with a humidifier or air purifier to keep you breathing clean all year long. Give us a call today at (704) 459-4066 .
