There’s a lot of work to do as Thanksgiving approaches. You need to pull out the good china, figure out the decor, and prepare your invite list. But there’s one detail that most people overlook – HVAC maintenance. If you’re planning on having a get together at your house, there are a few things you should do to get your HVAC in Wichita ready.

What Makes Prepping Your HVAC in Wichita So Important?

You’re probably wondering what your HVAC system has to do with a holiday. Well, it actually has a lot to do with the holiday season. For one, Thanksgiving is often the start of the frigid weather. Your heating and cooling in Wichita, KS needs to be ready for anything. It’s the perfect time to give your system some much-needed maintenance. If you travel for the holiday, you deserve to come back to a home with a working heating and cooling system.

Another reason to prep your HVAC is your guests. If you’re hosting the holidays or just having a few family members over, you need your HVAC to be in working order. Think about what would happen if your heater died while you had company over. The cold would ruin the day. Instead of talking about how great the food was, people would remember how uncomfortable the temperature was.

There’s also the issue of your air quality. If you haven’t had proper HVAC maintenance in a year or longer, your system could be affecting your air quality. Your home could be unbearable to someone with seasonal allergies.

Finally, giving your HVAC maintenance before the holiday means you have one less thing to worry about. As you’re preparing the mashed potatoes and setting the silverware, you shouldn’t have the anxiety of finding an HVAC company to repair your system. Maintenance could save you from a costly repair.

Thanksgiving HVAC Checklist

Before turkey day arrives, cross everything off this list:

Test the Thermostat

How well does your thermostat work? Even if your heater or AC kicks on, does it work when you want it to? Adjust the temperature on your thermostat and wait for the heater and AC to turn on. Make sure you test both systems and call an expert if either one doesn’t work.

It’s worth mentioning that a broken thermostat could be a simple fix. If it needs new batteries or you need a replacement thermostat, the repair is quick and easy.

Check and Replace Your Air Filters

Whether or not you’re diligent about changing your air filter, you should check it before Thanksgiving. This time of year, you may be using your HVAC system more than ever. Because of the excessive use, your system could develop dirty filters quicker than before. Instead of changing out your filters every three months, you might need to replace them every month.

If you have dirty filters, two problems occur. First, your system works harder than it needs to. As a result, your energy bills will rise, and your system is more likely to break down.

A second issue is one that could affect your holiday guests. Typically, dirty filters develop mold. The mold spores can cause your home to have poor air quality and to disperse allergens. By replacing your air filters before the holidays, you can improve the air quality in your home.

Clean Your Exterior Unit

You probably spend hours cleaning your home for holiday guests. So why not clean your HVAC system? If you have leaves and dirt on your exterior unit, it will look messy.

More importantly, a dirty HVAC doesn’t work well. As twigs and leaves get stuck in your condenser unit, your heating and cooling system doesn’t work efficiently. In fact, it could completely stop working.

Keep your system functioning by removing dirt and debris from the area near the condenser unit. However, don’t clean any debris from inside the unit unless you have experience. You could experience an injury or damage the blades of the fan.

Clean Your Ducts

When is the last time you had someone clean your HVAC ducts? If you can’t remember, it’s time to clean them. Over the years, dust accumulates in your ducts and causes poor air quality. Your guests will appreciate breathing in clean air.

Clean ducts also keep your system working. If you want to prevent HVAC issues on Thanksgiving day, hire someone to clean your air ducts.

Inspect the Base Pan

The base pan of your HVAC collects water when necessary. However, it shouldn’t be full of water. If it is, your system could shut off soon. Most HVACs have a safety shut-off that prevents the system from working when there’s too much water in the pan.

If you see water in the pan, there may be a clog in the drain pipe. To fix this issue, you need to remove the clog. Typically, this requires the expertise of an HVAC technician. They have the tools necessary to find and remove the clog.

Listen Out for Strange Noises

If your HVAC sounds different than usual, you might be quick to dismiss the irregularity. After all, won’t your system break down if something is wrong? Unfortunately, you may be ignoring a sign that your HVAC system needs help.

Listen out for strange noises and call an HVAC technician for assistance as soon as you suspect a problem. They can fix your issue before it ruins Thanksgiving.

Hire a Professional for an Inspection

On your own, there’s only so much you can do to ensure your system is in working order. The best thing you can do to make sure Thanksgiving lives up to everything you want it to be is to call a professional for an inspection.

During the inspection, an expert will check for potential problems with your system. They’ll also make sure it’s running as efficiently as it can. If you suspect an air quality issue, the technician may be able to help with that as well.

Whether you’re preparing for the holidays or you just want to take care of your system, call us at Eck Services. We can make sure your HVAC in Wichita is well-maintained.