In this episode of Home and Life Comfort, host Derek Cole warns homeowners that the transition period of warm days and freezing nights puts extra stress on HVAC systems because they must switch between heating and cooling within a single day. He explains that manually toggling the thermostat worsens the problem and recommends setting the thermostat to “auto” so the system can decide the appropriate mode. Cole stresses that after a demanding summer, the system’s air filters and airflow are likely dirty, and the first cold snap often reveals hidden failures. He advises listeners to schedule a heating tune‑up—called a “happy heat restoration”—to inspect heat strips, replace filters, and clean airflow. Finally, he urges homeowners to test their heating before the first cold snap, likening it to checking a car before a long trip, to avoid emergency service calls. Local listeners are directed to simmons1hour.com for assistance.
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Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole. Welcome back to Home and Life Comfort podcast. I'm Derek Cole, and today we're talking about something that seems to sneak up on all of us, which is this time of year when you have those warm days and freezing nights, it feels like fall. It feels manageable, but it actually causes stress on your H Vac system because you're going from heat to cool, from cool to heat. All that's happening at one time. You wake up, there's frost on the windshield. You probably got a coat on, and then by lunch, you're in short sleeves. You'll probably turn the AC on the car. It's very confusing. That swing just doesn't confuse you. It also confuses your H Vac system. It may run heat overnight, and then during the day, it may run cooling. So you're going to run heat and cool within 24 hours. If you're manually flipping the thermostat from heat to cool makes. Makes it even worse. So make sure you switch that to auto so the system can control which mode it needs to be in. It needs to be in the cool mode or the heat mode. Stop going to the thermostat and changing it yourself. People think when summer ends, AC is over. It just ran for months in the heat and the humidity and pollen, and it's been under great strain. Air filters are dirty. It's dirty. Airflow is restricted. They need to be clean. Because it's been running a marathon all summer, and now you're asking it to run another marathon when the cold snap hits. The first cold snap, when it hits, doesn't cause failure. It reviews them. I'll say that again. When the first cold snap hits, it doesn't cause failures, it reveals them. That's why repair calls during that first cold snap increase, because the weak systems fail first. So what do I recommend? Switch to auto, stop manually going from heat to cool, from cool to heat. If your house gets cold, turn the heat on. If it gets warm, you turn the AC on. Stop doing that, switch it to auto, put your temperatures in there and let the system decide which one it needs to run and when. And don't worry about it. Number two, schedule your tune up here. We call it a happy heat restoration. Wherever you are, schedule that heating tune up. Because you want to check the heat strips. Make sure the heat strips are running because you will need them. You want to replace the filters. Replace your air filters. And you want to check air flow because again, it's been running a marathon this summer. Just like if you were to run a marathon, you would love a shower before you went on to the next thing. Okay? Your system will love a clean cleanup shower before it runs the next marathon of the heating cycle. And lastly, check your heat before you need it. If you don't get a tune up and it's a beautiful day, turn the heat on. Just make sure it works. Okay? You wouldn't. You wouldn't jump into a car that's been sitting for nine months and expect to go on an eight hour road trip, right? You would test that vehicle out to make sure it's ready to go before you left. You wouldn't pack the car, crank it up and hopefully make it. No. Same thing with the heat. You want to test it to make sure it hasn't running, you know, six, nine months. Whatever it is, make sure it's functioning before you actually need it. Comfort never happens by accident. Do the basics before the rush. You don't want to be the one in line calling with no heat because you didn't do the basics. Now do the basics now. Save yourself in the long run. If you're local and if you want help, go to simmons1hour.com be glad to do it. But I am your friend in comfort and energy savings. Derek Cole. Home and life comfort with Derek Cole.
