Humidifier Maintenance, Home Maintenance, Home Warranty, America's Preferred Home Warranty

Contractor Cornerstones: Humidifier Maintenance for Homeowners

Humidifier Maintenance, Home Maintenance, Home Warranty, America's Preferred Home WarrantyAre you keeping up with your humidifier? No, not the essential oil-misting gadget sitting on a shelf—the one in your furnace. In this episode of Contractor Cornerstones, Jackson, Michigan’s Lammers Heating & Air Conditioning President Todd Desy told us what homeowners should be checking for.

According to HVAC.com,* a whole house humidifier works with the furnace, “…to distribute moisture efficiently to all living areas.” In other words, that’s what keeps the heated air from drying everything out in your home and causing excess static electricity… that is, unless you like getting zapped every time you reach for something metallic.

“Homeowners should check their humidifier filter (or pad) a couple times a year and replace it if necessary,” Todd said. “If the pads are left in too long, they can cause condensate leaks and drain line issues.”

It’s up to the homeowner to decide if they are comfortable replacing a pad—but there are some cases when Todd strongly recommends calling a technician for assistance. “If the pad looks like it has deteriorated to the point where there’s debris in the humidifier and into the drain line, they should have a tech come out and clean the whole system,” he said. “It’s necessary to ensure there are no blockages in the drain line,” which can lead to expensive repairs.

So, when was the last time you gave your furnace humidifier a once-over? If it’s high time to do so, click here for a step-by-step to help you along.*

Be sure to visit our blog for more home maintenance tips and tricks!

*America’s Preferred Home Warranty is not affiliated with and has not collaborated with either HVAC.com or TheSpruce.com in any capacity.

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Contractor Advice, Home Warranty, America's Preferred Home Warranty, Home Maintenance

Contractor Cornerstones: A/C Spring Maintenance for Homeowners

Contractor Advice, Home Warranty, America's Preferred Home Warranty, Home MaintenanceHave you noticed? Spring is in the air: The snow is melting, actual grass is visible, and the temperatures are steadily increasing (at least for the moment). In today’s episode of Contractor Cornerstones, we’re looking ahead to prepare for actual warm weather—by maintaining the air conditioner now.

From the Professionals

Service Manager Andy Miller of Lammers Heating & Air Conditioning in Jackson, Michigan, had a few suggestions for a standard central air conditioner:

  • Spray the outside unit off with a hose using normal household pressure. DO NOT use a power washer, which can cause damage.
  • Keep grass clippings and other vegetation away from the unit, but DO NOT use a weed-wacker near it—you could damage the fins, leading to potential coolant leaks. Either pull by hand or use a weed killer.

Save Some Money!

Of course, Andy recommends a maintenance tune-up as well, but only to save you money in the long run.

“While a standard annual tune-up may run around $80 or $90, an air conditioner failure could cost $100s in repairs, or quite a bit more in replacement,” Andy said. “Regular service calls should prevent those extra visits, and they’ll also keep your machine running efficiently, saving you quite a bit in energy costs as well.”

So while you’re opening windows and enjoying that refreshing breeze, take a moment to maintain your A/C—It’ll keep you cooler later!

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