616. First Cold Night

What's up, everyone? Derek Cole here with Simmons. One hour heating in there, and today we're talking about something that's coming real soon, the first cold night. Now, there is a blog post on the website simmonswendower.com that goes in more detail, but I kind of wanted to give you some broad strokes of what to expect that first cold night. The first chilly night. Of course, we haven't really had it yet, which is kind of weird for, you know, being November, but it is on the way. But, you know, if you can picture a crisp autumn evening, trees begun to fall, become to shed their leaves, which has happened, has started to happen. I was walking the other day and you know, leaves are falling right on me as I'm walking down the highway. So leaves have started doing that. They're displaying colors, they're starting to fall. The first chilly night you get up, the next morning the house is cold. But your heating is not working. What are you going to do? Because you could be in the boat of quite a few people but not have their heat work when they want it to work. Or you could be proactive and go ahead and get it checked out. But it all comes down to understanding your system and the role your heating air system, hvc, your heating system plays in your home comfort. Now, understanding the component skin can help you diagnose potential issues and appreciate how complex, how complicated it really is, because it's a complicated machine. But with the right professional, they can help you and solve your problem. So weather changes can significantly impact how your system operates. Colder temperatures may cause strain if the system isn't prepared, leading to higher energy bills and possible mechanical failures. Now, anticipating these changes allows you to maybe employ some or deploy some preventive measures, ensuring a seamless transition into the colder months ahead. So do it yourself. Tips I have for you. Step one, Change your your air filter. If y' all been following us for any amount of time, you have probably heard me say this and preach it and scream it from the mountaintops. Change your air filter. It is, according to Energy Star, according to Energy Star, the most important thing you can do yourself. You don't need a pro. You don't. You can do it yourself. The most important thing you can do yourself for your system is change and check your filter. Do that on a regular basis. Ideally, filters should be changed every one to three months, depending. Every home is different, usage is different, environments are different. Some folks have pets, some folks have kids. Some folks go in and out a lot. Some folks stay at home quite a bit. All Those environments are different and be handled differently. That's why I recommend at least changing or checking that filter once a month. If you have pits, it might be more often. If you don't have pets or don't use the system that much, it might be every three months. It depends on your situation. So a great rule of thumb. Rule of thumb is to check that filter once a month. Change it when you need it, check it once a month. That is the most important thing you can do yourself. Also inspecting vents and ducts. Do you have something obstructing the vents? Do you have furniture over the vents? Do you have a duct down? Have you had your duct checked? Have you had your duct cleaned? I mean, all these. Go into these things that are blocking airflow. Could, could be a problem. So make sure your vents are clear. Make sure your vents are clean. Make sure nothing is stopping the airflow from getting into your house. Number three, check in your thermostat. Check in your thermostat settings. That's important. I won't say half. Probably 25, 30% of the calls we get when seasons change, we get there. And the thermostat is not on the right mode. I'm serious. That. That is a service call. The thermostat is not in the right mode. Now you have cooling mode, heating mode, and auto. I'm a big fan of auto, auto mode. You can set your cooling temperature. You can set your heating temperature. You can. That way, if it gets too warm in the house, the cooling comes on. If it gets too cold in the house, the heating comes on. Especially this time of year when you have these cooler evenings, warmer days, you could, you could need both in 24 hours. But if you want heat, make sure thermostat is on the right mode, either auto or heating, and have it on the temperature you want. So check your thermostat settings. Service your unit. This should be number one. It's down here on number four, but probably number one is servicing your unit. Having a professional maintenance done on your system is vital for longevity, for reliability. Includes a thorough check of all the components, cleaning of the coils, making sure you're ready for this next season. If you have not fired the heating up so far, let's go and test it. Let's test it before we get to a situation in which we have to have it. So regular service. Service your unit on a regular basis. Twice a year is recommended. Every six months recommended. But if you have not done it anytime soon, make sure that heating is working. If you don't have a service, at least check your heat before it gets to the point where you need heat. That way you can be somewhat proactive and go ahead and get a handle right now and not have to wait in line when it's that first cold day and people are calling in and demand is really high. It's a little bit cheaper when you get to fix something than when you have to fix something. Right. Does that make sense? It's a little cheaper, a little less of a problem when you get to take care of it versus you having a choice. You have to take care of it and then you have to wait in line. So check your heat, have your system serviced, make sure you're good to go. Also, you want to find a reliable H vac tech. If you don't have one, obviously I would love you to give us a chance, but have that reliable technician, it comes to your house, not. Not Joe, not do what? You now have somebody that's on call, that's ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can answer your call. Now, just like we have humans here, we all make mistakes. Right, but how do you respond to those mistakes? That's what's important. That's why we've been in business since 1953, because we take care of climates. Yeah. Is it a little more expensive to have us do it than the guy, you know? Yeah, but what, the guy is sick or the guy is on vacation or the guy's busy, who's going to come now? Whereas when you call a professional organization, they have the staff and the ability to respond and get you taken care of before it becomes a serious problem. So, I mean, these are the first steps towards a cozy home. I mean, that first cold night is coming. It's not here yet, but it's on the way. Are you prepared? You should be prepared. If you have any questions, feel free to call us. 910-276-2790. Text me personally. 904-63-5811 will get you taken care of, get you on the list. But the first cold night is right around the corner.