Useful Tips To Prolong The Life Of Your HVAC System - House Digest

There's no doubt that adequate insulation is a major factor in keeping your home's interior rooms comfortably warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In a properly insulated home, the HVAC system is not overworked or taxed to the limits of its capabilities. Insulating your home sufficiently, you can ensure a longer life for the system.

Many older homes lack the insulation of modern structures. You'll know you need to add more insulation if you notice drafts and uneven heating, with hot and cold spots throughout your rooms. If your walls, ceilings, and floors feel damp to the touch, you should add more. Similarly, a noticeable fluctuation of overly warm or cold indoor temperatures signals an insufficiently insulated structure. At the extremes of winter temperatures, you may even notice icicles and frozen pipes. 

For best results, you should hire a reliable insulation contractor to perform an energy assessment on your home. Alternatively, you might be able to do the job yourself. Start by locating the insulation in your home and determining its type. Measure its thickness and calculate its R-value (thermal resistance). To get the R-value, measure the thickness of the insulation in inches and divide it by the thermal conductivity of the insulation, which you can find online. Adding insulation to increase the R-value will relieve the stress on your HVAC system and help it last longer.