HVAC units seem to break down on the coldest and hottest days of the year. Prolonged hot or cold weather patterns can certainly cause an HVAC unit to work overtime to keep your home climate controlled. However, an HVAC unit often offers warning signs to let you know that you should consider calling a professional to service your system. Discover a few signs that indicate you need to call an HVAC professional right away.

Your Unit Isn’t Running Properly

If you or a family member is sick, you go or take the person to visit the doctor. If your car is making a strange sound, you visit the mechanic. Likewise, if your HVAC unit is demonstrating signs that it’s starting to malfunction, you need to call an HVAC professional. If your unit isn’t heating or cooling your home as it should and you don’t have obvious blockages to heat registers or air filters, you should call a professional. Contact a technician if you notice unusual sounds coming from your HVAC unit as well.

Finally — and most importantly — if you have a gas unit, you should already have installed carbon monoxide detectors. If a carbon monoxide detector alerts you to the presence of this deadly gas, contact a professional immediately.

Your DIY Actions Haven’t Resolved the Problem

Several issues related to HVAC units are simple to resolve. You can change the unit’s filter, check the thermostat, and confirm that the unit’s circuit breaker has not tripped. Such repairs are simple, inexpensive, and take only a few minutes.

You may also move draperies, furniture, and other items around your home to keep them from obstructing the air flowing through your registers. Make sure your registers are fully open to allow maximum airflow. If simple do-it-yourself HVAC system repairs such as these ones do not solve your problem, then you need to call an HVAC technician.

You Renovated Your Home

Home and garden television programs offer plenty of inspiration for renovating your home. You may find yourself planning to upsize your home to suit an expanding family or to customize your living space to meet your tastes.

When selecting floor plans, paint samples, and design touches to complete your renovation project, make sure to place “call your HVAC professional” on your must-do list. Your HVAC professional can alert you to new features to maximize your HVAC unit’s efficiency while climate controlling your new living space. HVAC professionals can also make sure that your home is as efficient as possible, including assessing your current insulation and ductwork.

Your Home Is Exceptionally Dusty

Cleaning your home may seem like a never-ending process, and your HVAC unit may make your cleaning efforts moot. Over time, dust and dirt build up on your HVAC unit’s elements; that dust and dirt then gets distributed throughout your home, landing on surfaces you just dusted. Schedule a maintenance visit with your HVAC professional to have your HVAC system thoroughly cleaned once a year. Not only will a thorough cleaning keep your whole home cleaner, but a clean HVAC system also runs more smoothly and efficiently, thus prolonging its overall life.

Don’t wait until your HVAC unit completely breaks down to call an HVAC professional. From preventative maintenance to annual cleanings, you can make sure your system keeps you comfortable year-round.