Tag Archives: preventive maintenance

HVAC repair and maintenance

HVAC Repair and Maintenance Tips

Heat may not be a top concern in the humid, muggy environment of South Florida, but central air conditioning certainly is! Your central air conditioner’s condensing unit, among other components of your Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, needs regular care in order to function properly. If you value cool air and comfort in your home, then pay attention to the following HVAC repair and maintenance tips!

How To Repair & Maintain Your HVAC System

Fortunately, there are plenty of HVAC repairs that are easy and can be done on your own. Follow these steps to maintain your condensing unit on at least an annual basis, and call your local home repair service for any other HVAC repair and maintenance you need!

Shut Off the Power

First, you will need to shut off the condensing unit’s power supply. Open the switch box, which should be located next to the unit outside your house. Depending on the make and model of your condensing unit, you will need to do one of the following:

  • Unplug the box
  • Remove the fuse plug
  • Hit the switch that shuts down the power

You should also turn off the main service panel (which you may have repaired when investing for resale) and wait a few minutes to allow the charge to dissipate before moving forward.

Lubricate the Motor

There will be protective grilles on the side that must also be removed. Unscrew the top and side panels and pull the grille away. Do not remove it, but rather support it on top of the fan lightly and carefully. Then, drop some lubricating oil into the ports located above the fan blade.

Clean the Coils

The next phase of HVAC repair and maintenance is cleaning the condenser coils. Be sure not to bend or warp them as you are clearing away any leaves, sticks or dust. Using a soft bristle head attachment, also vacuum the exteriors of the coil fins and also any debris on the bottom of your condensing unit. Use a hose with a gun to lightly wash the inside of the coils.

Finishing Touches

Finally, reposition the grille covers and make sure your unit sits level with the ground. Use a leveling tool and if it is not level, adjust the feet to make it so. Once your unit is level, wait about 3 hours before you turn the power back on. Reconnect the switch and turn on the service panel. Turn your unit to cool — and voila! Cold air for everyone in your house to enjoy!

Prevent weed growth

How to Prevent Weed Growth Between Pavers

If you ave installed paving stones on your driveway, walkway or patio, your pavers already look more magnificent than anyone else’s. Interlocking paving stones have a significant elegance about them, and you will want to keep them looking that way. That’s why it is so important to prevent weed growth between your pavers to ensure they stay flush and appealing.

Preventive Maintenance Against Weed Growth

There is no question that weeds will destroy the appearance of your pavement. You’ve spent the time and money to make your paving stones look better than asphalt and concrete, and the last thing you want is for that to be destroyed by weeds. But this is also a matter of convenience. Removing weeds once they’ve grown is an extremely mind-numbing time-consuming task, so make sure to prevent weed growth from occurring in the first place.

Why Do Weeds Grow Between Pavers?

First, you must understand how this can occur. Weeds are extremely tricky to prevent because they do not grow as most flora do. Wherever there is available soil, seedlings will drop and replicate at an exponential rate. Even if your paving stones were installed by the best paving service available, there will still be crevices that weeds will find to grow.

How to Prevent Weed Growth

When it comes to preventing weed growth between your pavers, the best defense is a good offense. Rid your pavers of weed seedlings before they get a chance to grow by:

  • Regularly taking the time to sweep your pavers (at least once a week), making sure the bristles are deep enough to get between the pavers and in the crevices.
  • Making sure your pavers have a sufficiently declining slope (about 4′ away from your home for every 1″ decline), which will also prevent roof leakage and wet basements.

Dealing With Weed Growth

If you have failed to prevent weed growth between your pavers, fear not — all hope is not lost! Follow these steps to remedy the problem ASAP:

  1. Weed by weed, use your hands to pull and dispose of the larger weeds. Make sure you pull by the roots so they do not grow back.
  2. You can use a pressure washer for the remaining weeds. It is okay to wash away the joint sand as you pressure wash your pavers, but do not erode their bedding layer.
  3. You can use something as commonplace as boiling water or vinegar to destroy the roots and seedlings. However, vinegar may be corrosive, so check your bedding layer material and make sure the solution you are using is okay.
  4. Finally, allow the pavers to dry and refill the joints with sand.