General Tips

Maintaining your HVAC system is an important part of improving it's longevity. You'll find that in most manufacturer provided manuals they will outline what you need to do to keep your system up and running. While these manuals do a great job of informing customers of the basic maintenance needs, we at Universal have come up with a few extra tips that might help you maintain your system. Check out these helpful tips below.

• Covering your out door unit in the winter is not necessary. Air conditioners are manufactured to withstand all possible climate changes. In fact, rain helps keep the unit clean. And, because heat pumps run all year long, they should be never covered.

• Filters should be replaced every month when the system is running. Always replace with the same size and type as the original. If your filter is not disposable follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning.

• Leaving your thermostat fan ON so it runs constantly, which actually helps filter the air in your home. And, because the air is constantly moving, you get more even temperature. However, in humid and coastal areas, you should not run your fan in the continuous mode during cooling because this will add moisture back into your home.

• Shrubs or flowers should not be planted closer than 18 inches to your outdoor unit. Air conditioners need to take in and exhaust air to operate efficiently. If air cannot circulate, the unit could build up heat, use more energy and decrease cooling capacity.