Summer is almost over and cooler weather is finally approaching. When that happens, it’s time to think about heating your home. When you have a ductless HVAC system, switching from cooling to heating is as easy as pressing a button. But after running the AC all summer long, you may run into one or two issues. Here are the most common ones and what you can do about them.
Common Issues When Switching Your Ductless HVAC from AC to Heat (and Their Solutions)
Weak Airflow
If you turn your ductless HVAC system on and notice that the air coming out of one or more of your units feels weak or like it’s not blowing hard enough, it could be due to clogged filters. This often happens after a full summer of running your units on AC mode.
Solution: Take the filters out of your mini-split and give them a good scrub with hot, soapy water. Then, rinse them clean and allow them to dry before reinstalling. This lets air flow freely through your unit. However, you will need to do this for each indoor unit that you have.
Water Dripping From Your Unit
Water dripping from your indoor air handlers can be a big problem, especially when it drips down the wall or onto furniture, curtains, or other objects in your home.
Solution: Leaks are most often the result of a clogged drain pan or condensate line. This requires a professional HVAC contractor to remove any solid particles and flush the line.
Poor Air Quality
If you notice more dust collecting on surfaces in your home, or someone in your home has worsening allergies, your indoor air quality might be taking a hit. This is common in autumn since ragweed releases pollen from August to the first frost. Keeping your windows closed for the AC all summer may have also caused dust buildup since this limits fresh air exchange.
Solution: Cleaning your filters will likely solve this problem too, but if it doesn’t, you can look into getting a home air purifier that removes ultra-fine particles.
High Energy Bills
It’s not uncommon for your electric bill to get higher as the winter goes on and you use your heating system more often. But if you notice that your bill is skyrocketing, this can be a major concern.
Solution: This is yet another issue that filter cleaning can help resolve. When too much debris has collected in your mini-split’s filters, it forces your system to work harder to push air through. In turn, this raises your electric costs and makes your bill higher. Another potential problem is internal parts that are too worn or too old to work efficiently.
Musty Odors
Over time, your ductless HVAC system might start to develop a musty odor. This is called “dirty sock syndrome” and can happen to both ductless and traditional ducted systems. Usually, the smell will be the most noticeable when you come home after work or a day out.
Solution: While cleaning your filters can help with mustiness, you might need to have your system deep cleaned if it smells like a basement every time you turn it on. It’s not uncommon for the same debris that gets stuck in the filters to coat internal components, in which case a professional contractor will need to disassemble the unit and clean each part.
Heating Leaks
Old New England houses often have cracks in the foundation or tiny openings around windows and doors that can let cold air in or heating out. These tend to get worse with age, so the older your home is, the more cracks may have developed as your house settled over the years. You might not have noticed this as much in the summer, even though it still happens.
Solution: Weatherize your home in the fall before the temperature gets too cold. This means sealing cracks with caulk or adding insulation to areas that don’t have enough, like the attic.
Schedule a Professional Inspection Now Before Heating Season
Fall is the best time to have your mini-split professionally serviced before winter hits. Instead of waiting until you have a serious problem or your heating goes out to call a technician, it’s better to get on your contractor’s autumn maintenance schedule now before it fills up with emergency repairs.
Contact New England Heat Pump Co. at (781) 443-9911 to schedule your appointment, or reach out to us online.
