You may ask yourself what; exactly do you need to do to winterize your HVAC unit? Then you may ask yourself; why? For the most part winterizing your unit simply means to protect it from the colder weather. However, it’s also necessary to keep your unit running smoothly in the summer. Firstly you need to know that not all snow and ice on your unit is an immediate hazard! Our tips for you are to help prevent the damaging amount of snow or ice from entering your unit.
When winterizing your HVAC outdoor unit you should…
- Make sure all electricity is shut off.
This is primarily a safety precaution, you don’t want the power to connect while the unit is being poked and prodded! However, in the winter if the unit’s power were still connected it could turn on. Besides causing you an extra buck this could also cause permanent damage to your unit. See, the unit will use the water to form the air, however the water will be freezing or below (depending on the temperature in the air) and water that cold could cause many more detrimental issues in the future.
- Check your unit.
It may sound funny, or it may be something you’ve told yourself you’ve done. Well we want you to do it again! This time you should be on the look out for any cracks or damages to the unit. This also could be the first good cleaning you give your unit before it sits idle for a couple of months. Plus this is a great opportunity to see how much space the unit has between the ground and the snow -even though there’s snow yet. This is also a perfect time to figure out if any other maintenance has to be done and how you should go about it!
- Cover your unit.
Before you jump to conclusions this does not have to be an expensive endeavor! A simple piece of plywood on top of the unit will do the trick. However if you were to purchase a cover or use one you already own you should make sure there’s breathing room. Moisture is going to get in the unit regardless. If you cover the unit too tightly with no room mildew or mold could start to form within the unit. Of course the main purpose of covering a unit is to…? Protect it from getting unhealthy amounts of snow or ice inside!
This winter the prediction is plenty of the white fluffy stuff, but you’ve got plenty of time to prepare. If you have any other concerns or questions about your unit, a professional is just a phone call away.