CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We can’t control the weather, but one local heating and air company shared some tips on how neighbors can control their home environment.
“Most people probably haven’t turned their heat on since last January or February,” General Manager at Mathews CCAC Tom Swanson said.
He said around this time of year, he and his crew get extra busy.
“When it gets cold like that, we get an influx in calls. We get a lot of calls of people saying something isn’t working right,” Swanson said.
Some common problems they hear time and time again are along the lines of windows not being as efficient, trouble with insulation, heaters not keeping up and the smell that comes along with it.
He shares some common problems they hear over and over again with KRIS 6 News reporter Makaylah Chavez. Here are his tips.
Tip number one: The first thing neighbors should do right now if they haven’t already done so is test their heat.
“A lot of people probably already have turned on their heating systems and if there’s something wrong with it, they probably already know about it,” Swanson said.
When residents first start up their heater, they might notice a burning smell. Swanson said that comes from dust and debris that get through the filters over the years. However, it’s nothing to panic about.
“What happens is when you finally turn that on, a lot of it burns off. It’s not a hazard by any means,” Swanson said.
After one turns on their heating system, they should set it to their desired temperature.
“Most people set int between 65 and 70,” Swanson said.
Swanson said once it’s on, do not turn it off. If anything, just lower it.
“When you turn something off, just like the AC, the items in the house will heat up or in this case cool down and it’ll take longer for you to heat your house,” Swanson said.
He recommends turning the heat on Sunday evening.
“Once that temperature drops down to the 50s, 40s, your house temperature will start coming down,” Swanson said.
Finally, once the system reaches the set temperature you put it at, the heart will kick on and it will start warming the house for the morning.
And if someone uses space heaters, make sure they are safe and not old.
“You’re going to want to set those in an area that’s clear of any type of blanket or anything really. Just set it in an area that has a lot of space,” Swanson said.
And never leave the house without turning it off.
For any questions regarding your HVAc system, Swanson and his team are glad to assist. Just call 361-333-2222. Mathews CCAC is located at 4502 SPID, Corpus Christi, Texas.
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