How to Protect Your HVAC System From the Seasons

Bad weather can damage your HVAC system, make your family less comfortable, and increase your utility bills in all four seasons. Your Alexandria, Virginia, home is exposed to snow and ice in winter; thunderstorms and rapidly changing weather in the spring; heat and high humidity in the summer; and lots of leaves and branches in the fall. You can protect your HVAC system by covering your unit, cleaning it regularly and adding extra drainage.

Cover Your Outdoor Unit

Covering your outdoor HVAC unit in winter helps prevent damage from snow and ice. However, a cover can encourage pests and microbial growth in warmer weather. If you’re not expecting bad weather, you should remove it.

For a more convenient solution, install an awning over your unit. You also get protection from leaves and other debris in fall and more shade in summer. You can add a fence or some hedges, as well. Just make sure your system has at least 2 feet of clearance for optimal airflow.

Clean Regularly

You should use a garden hose to rinse dirt, pollen, grass clippings, and other debris off the top of your unit in spring and summer. This keeps contaminants from getting into your system and causing expensive breakdowns. Pollutants also impact your indoor air quality and increase your utility bills. Don’t use a pressure washer to remove them because you could damage your unit.

Add Extra Drainage

If your outdoor HVAC system doesn’t already have one, you should install a raised platform to protect it from heavy rain or a busted pipe. Also, make sure the downspouts attached to your gutters don’t direct water to your HVAC system. If any part of your system is in your basement, like your furnace, install a sump pump to remove water if it floods.

Brennan’s Heating and Air Conditioning is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer with over 35 years of heating and cooling experience. Call us anytime at 703-783-0145 for help protecting your HVAC system throughout the year.

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