An air handler is an important part of your HVAC system, especially here in Portland, OR where both heating and air conditioning are priorities for most of the year. It’s what moves the air from the HVAC unit through the ducts in your home, providing filtration as well as fan power to ensure maximum efficiency. Most are designed to work without a problem for many years, but like any other component in your home, it will wear out eventually. When it does, you need a professional service to install a new one. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.
Signs You Need a New One
The biggest sign that you require repairs in your air handler, or even a replacement of a faulty unit, is a lack of even distribution in your system. In most cases, that means lower air flow than you expect, which you can feel it you hold your hand up to the vents. Other common problems can include the development of breezeways and cold spots, as well as a general uneven quality of the temperature in your home: some rooms being warmer than others, for example. As long as the handler is still under warranty, you likely want to focus on repair rather than replacement. But if the warranty has expired, you might want to consider a new one.
Selecting the Right One
Selecting a new air handler starts with sizing it for your home. A technician can audit your home to determine the right size, though the size of your old air handler makes a good place to start. Once that’s determined, you can select the most efficient system that fits your home and that matches your budget.
If your air flow is decreasing and you can’t determine the reason, shut the system off and call in Clean Air Act, Inc. today!