Your older home has history, charm, and style and as much as you love older homes, they are more difficult to heat and cool efficiently. In Harvey, LA, you rely on your HVAC system to see you through the summer and to heat your home through the winter nights. Below are five common HVAC problems that plague older homes in the New Orleans area.
Indoor Air Quality Issues
You’re probably worried about the air quality outside your home, but have you ever wondered about the indoor air quality in your home? The EPA states that the levels of pollutants inside the home are often two to five times higher than levels outside the home.
Pollutants in the home lead to a number of health issues, including headaches, dizziness, an increase in allergy and asthma symptoms, respiratory disease, and more. One way to maintain good indoor air quality is to regularly change or clean HVAC air filters every six weeks. Another way to address indoor air quality issues is to schedule a regular duct cleaning.
Lack of Regular Maintenance
Another common older homes have is that people forget to keep up with the maintenance schedule for the HVAC system. The typical service life of an HVAC system is 10 to 15 years; without regular maintenance, the service life drops to about half that. Not only does lack of regular repairs and maintenance cut the service life of your HVAC service in half, but there are other issues that come with lack of maintenance.
Lack of Zoning
In older homes with older thermostats and HVAC systems, you have a single thermostat that controls the heating and cooling of the whole home. When you have just one thermostat for your whole home, you probably experience cold spots or spots in your home that don’t cool as much as the rest of your home. Otherwise, there’s likely one room in your home referred to as the hottest/coldest room in the house, depending on the time of year.
Modern HVAC systems, such as ductless mini-splits, allow you to create zones that have separate thermostats. When you have zoned heating and cooling, you no longer have spots in your home that don’t match your desired temperature or rooms that you designate as the coldest in the house.
Leaky Ductwork
Unless you have a ductless mini-split, the air from your HVAC system moves through the ductwork of your home. If you have cracks in your ductwork or loose joints in your ducts, the air leaks out of the ducts. In turn, this lowers the energy efficiency of your system and you end up wasting money. A professional checks your ducts and seals them as needed.
Older Thermostats
Sometimes problems with your HVAC system aren’t with your HVAC system at all. Sometimes the problem is with your thermostat; the older your thermostat, the more likely it’s the culprit. Older thermostats contribute to inefficient heating and cooling, as well as increased wear and tear on your HVAC unit.
Modern thermostats are usually more energy efficient. Plus, consider investing in a smart thermostat so you can control your system remotely.
Outdated HVAC system
One problem you may encounter when you purchase an older home is that your home has an HVAC system that has reached the end of its service life. Some signs you need to replace an older system include odd sounds, excessive dust, poor air quality and increasing energy bills.
Poor Airflow
Apart from the obvious temperature shift that you may experience going from room to room in an older home, another common HVAC problem you may encounter is poor airflow. Some signs of poor airflow issues include doors shutting by themselves, no or minimal airflow coming from the vents and dirty ducts.
Don’t let HVAC problems continue to plague your home, or potentially, your health. Our specialists train in all aspects of HVAC installation, repair and maintenance. Contact Bryans United Air Conditioning today for all your HVAC needs.
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