保持设备调谐

如何保养家里的暖气 & 冷却设备以节省能源

就像你最喜欢的车一样, your heating and cooling system needs a regular trip to the mechanic to keep it purring. 不定期维修, heating and cooling systems burn more fuel and are more likely to break down. 只要给予适当的关注，它们可以让你一年四季都感到舒适.

Heat pumps and oil-fired furnaces and boilers need a yearly professional tune-up. Gas-fired equipment burns cleaner; it should be serviced every other year. 仔细检查会发现漏洞, soot, rust, rot, 腐蚀电触点, and frayed wires. 在炉子(强制空气)和锅炉(热水)系统中, 检查还应包括烟囱, ductwork or pipes, dampers or valves, blower or pump, registers or radiators, the fuel line, and the gas meter or oil tank—as well as every part of the furnace or boiler itself.

Next, the system should be run through a full heating cycle to ensure that it has plenty of combustion air and chimney draft. Contractors can use specialty meters to check for sufficient draft and also test the air for carbon monoxide.

Finally, it's time for the down and dirty task of cleaning the burner and heat exchanger to remove soot and other gunk that can impede smooth operation. For the burner, 效率取决于调整火焰的大小和颜色, adjusting the flow of gas or changing the fuel filter in an oil-fired system. A check of the heat pump should include an inspection of the compressor, fan, indoor and outdoor coils, and refrigerant lines. Indoor and outdoor coils should be cleaned, and the refrigerant pressure should be checked. Low pressure indicates a leak; to locate it, contractors feed tinted refrigerant into the loop and go over it with an electronic detector.

The Low Blow

Tuning up the distribution side of a forced-air system starts with the blower. 要做好这项工作，首先必须把它移除. 这个轴应该加润滑油, blades cleaned and blower motor checked to insure the unit isn't being overloaded. The fan belt should be adjusted so it deflects no more than an inch when pressed. Every accessible joint in the ductwork should be sealed with mastic or UL-approved duct tapes. 任何在加热空间外运行的管道都应该是绝缘的. On a hot-water system, 膨胀罐应排水, the circulating pump cleaned and lubricated and air bled out of the radiators.

Turn It Up

而恒温器很少会直接失效, they can degrade over time as mechanical parts stick or lose their calibration. Older units will send faulty signals if they've been knocked out of level or have dirty switches. 重新校准旧装置, use a wrench to adjust the nut on the back of the mercury switch until it turns the system on and, 使用室内温度计, 把它调到正确的温度. 现代电子恒温器, 在工厂密封，防止灰尘和污垢进入, rarely need adjusting. However, 不管你的恒温器是老的还是小的, the hole where the thermostat wire comes through the wall needs to be caulked or a draft could trick it into thinking the room is warmer or colder than it really is.

Humidifiers

一个被忽视的导管加湿器会滋生霉菌和细菌, 更不用说给房子增加太多的水分了. A common mistake with humidifiers is leaving them on after the heating season ends. Don't forget to pull the plug, shut the water valve and drain the unit. A unit with a water reservoir should be drained and cleaned with white vinegar, a mix of one part chlorine bleach to eight parts water or muriatic acid. Mist-type humidifiers also require regular cleaning to remove mineral deposits.

Filters

Most houses with forced-air furnaces have a standard furnace filter made from loosely woven spun-glass fibers designed to keep it and its ductwork clean. 不幸的是，它们不能改善室内空气质量. That takes a media filter, which sits in between the main return duct and the blower cabinet. Made of a deeply-pleated, paper-like material, media filters are at least seven times better than a standard filter at removing dust and other particles. An upgrade to a pleated media filter will cleanse the air of everything from insecticide dust to flu viruses.

Compressed, 媒体过滤器的宽度通常不超过6英寸, but the pleated material can cover up to 75 square feet when stretched out. This increased area of filtration accounts for the filter's long life, which can exceed two years. 媒体过滤器的唯一缺点是它的紧密组织, 哪些因素会限制熔炉向室内吹气的能力. To ensure a steady, 室内气流强劲, 选择一个过滤器，匹配您的鼓风机的容量.

Duct Cleaning

Inside the walls and floors of 80 percent of American homes run a maze of heating and air conditioning ducts that connect each room to the furnace. 因为送风管道将空气吹进房间, 回程管道吸入空气中的灰尘，并把它吸回鼓风机. Add moisture to this mixture and you've got a breeding ground for allergy-inducing molds, mites, and bacteria. Many filters commonly used today can't keep dust and debris from streaming into the air and overtime sizable accumulations can form—think dust bunnies, but bigger.

To find out if your ducts need cleaning, pull off some supply and return registers and take a look. 如果正在安装一个新的熔炉, 你应该同时进行一次管道清洗, because chances are the new blower will be more powerful than the old one and will stir up a lot of dust.

专业的风管清洁工吹嘘诸如清洁室内空气这样的好处, longer equipment life, and lower energy costs. 清洁HVAC系统也可以更有效地运行, 哪些可以降低能源成本, and last longer, 减少昂贵的更换或维修的需要. 清洁对空气质量的影响很小, 主要是因为大部分室内灰尘是从室外飘进来的. 但它确实去除了霉菌和细菌生长的物质, 这意味着通过空气传播的细菌会减少, 对过敏患者的福音.