How To Prep Your HVAC For Winter

By the HVAC experts at S.J. Kowalski

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the central heating system is so delightful!

With winter here, it’s essential to keep your heating system in top shape. Here are tips to prepare your HVAC for winter storms. One question you may ask is do you have to remove snow from your HVAC unit?

If you’re worried about snow in your AC unit, don’t be. Manufacturers built air conditioning and heat pumps to withstand some snow.

We recommend clearing snow around the condenser if you rely on a heat pump to heat your home. Dust snow off the top of the unit. Shovel at least 18 inches around the condenser on all sides to ensure proper air flow. Some homeowners use snow legs to protect their heat pump in the winter. These risers should boost the unit above the typical average snowfall in your area.

We suggest that a professional install snow legs on your heat pump before a winter storm. Snow legs can also protect your system if your area is prone to flooding.

If you have a cooling only AC system, snow in your outdoor unit is not a problem. Since you likely won’t use your AC in snowy conditions, leave it and let the snow and ice melt naturally.

Once the cooling season is over, turn your AC off for the winter. Locate the switch it’s attached to (usually on an external wall of your home), lift the protective cover, and turn it off. Switch your thermostat heat and auto.

We do not recommend covering your AC condenser with a tarp or fabric cover for the winter, as they can create mold issues. A mesh style cover may help to keep leaves out if your trees still have them.

If there is excessive snow on top of it, you may wish to clean some off, to prevent the condenser’s external covering from warping or bending. Usually, you don’t have to worry about protecting your HVAC from ice. If your outdoor condenser is exclusively for air conditioning, you don’t need to do anything to protect it from ice. Do not use your air conditioner when temperature is below 60 degrees. Heat pumps that heat and cool a home may enter defrost mode in icy conditions. This is a self preserving function where the heat pump uses its warming power to melt the ice on its components to continue heating your home.

When a heat pump goes int defrost mode, it may stop providing heat to the house for a short time. You may choose to turn on its emergency heat setting at this time to keep warm. We suggest only doing this in an emergency, as it will spike your utility bills.

If you have any HVAC problems this winter call 570-455-2600 the experts at S.J. Kowalski, Inc. can help you.