Four Essential Things You Must Know about HVAC Maintenance

A properly functioning and clean HVAC system is essential to both your respiratory health and comfort. Heating and cooling system manufacturers recommend that your HVAC be inspected regularly. By having your system cleaned and calibrated, you can improve energy efficiency, keep fuel costs to the minimum, and prolong the life of your equipment.

One of the best ways to keep your heating and cooling system at its peak performance is by hiring a contractor to perform annual check-ups.  A typical maintenance check-up from an expert must include the following. 

General maintenance 

There are certain standardized checks that every good contractor will perform on your HVAC, such as:

1. Checking the thermostat setting to ensure that the heating and cooling system keeps the house at a comfortable temperature,
2. Measuring voltage, and tightening all electrical connections to ensure safe operation and increasing life of the components,
3. Lubricating the moving parts: components that lack proper lubrication can create friction in motors and increase the consumption of electricity,
4. Checking out the condensate drain in the furnace, heat pump, and central air conditioner:, a blocked drain can create water damage and upset the indoor humidity levels and
5. Checking system controls to ensure safe and proper operation: inspecting the starting cycle of the system can ensure that the system starts, functions, and shuts off correctly.

Heating inspection

Apart from performing some standardized tests, good contractors will also check to see if your heating system is working fine. This will include checking all oil or gas connections, burner combustion, gas pressure, and heat exchangers. Gas/Oil connections that function in an abnormal manner can be hazardous to your health. Also, a cracked heat exchanger or dirty burner can lead to improper burner operation. Both can cause the system to function less efficiently and safely.

Cooling inspection

Cooling becomes a necessity during the peak summer months. In order go make sure that it is perfect throughout the season, you must oversee whether the professional performs the following actions:

1. Clean the air conditioning and evaporator coils: dirty coils can decrease the machine’s ability to cool a house, cause the thermostat to run longer,  reduce the equipment’s life and increase energy costs.
2. Checking the air conditioner’s refrigerant level and changing it if required: excessive or low refrigerant will make the machine less efficient, reduce its life and increase energy costs.
3. Cleaning and adjusting the blower components for proper system airflow: airflow problems can decrease the efficiency of the system by almost 15 percent.

Do-it-Yourself HVAC Ideas

Apart from seeking expert help, you can also perform certain actions on your own to make sure that your HVAC remains in good working order, all year long. Inspect the system’s air filters and clean or change them once a month. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your contractor to show you the right way to perform the action. A dirty filter can damage your machine, and lead to increased energy costs.

Peak summer and biting winter are the busiest seasons for HVAC contractors, and so it's best to get your cooling system checked in the spring and your heating system during the fall. Remember, you can plan to your advantage the annual maintenance around time changes during spring and fall.

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