The home’s HVAC system is an intricate network comprising the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, which are integral in maintaining a healthy air quality and overall comfort in the house. Visit Maintenance Tips: Central Air Conditioner - Buildipedia - for tips on servicing your central air.
As the seasons transition (winter is quickly coming), homeowners should inspect the system and take care of basic household care and upkeep.
Part of this routine care should involve preventive maintenance services at least once each year, either in the early spring or fall. A functional system consumes more than half of a household’s energy, and replacing a unit can cost upwards of thousands of dollars.
Prioritizing its maintenance will keep it operating at peak performance to save on these energy costs and prevent the potential for extensive and costly repairs.
It can, in fact, extend its longevity to stave off the need for a replacement sooner rather than later. Let’s check out a few basic maintenance guidelines to prepare you as winter sets in.
HVAC Care and Upkeep for the Seasons
Fall is gradually working its way into the frigid cold of winter, with many people turning their heating systems on at this point. Before taking that step, ensuring the unit has a tune-up is crucial so the air conditioning can be shut down and the heating can be tested to get it ready to start up.
Preventive maintenance with a quality and qualified HVAC company such as Best Owner Direct HVAC & Electrical keeps the equipment running at peak performance.
With regular tune-ups at least once each year, you can maintain better energy efficiency, save on utility costs, and mitigate the risk of major malfunctions or the need for extensive repairs. Here are a few tips on handling standard household care and upkeep as a homeowner.
The air filters
A major part of HVAC maintenance is keeping the air filters changed regularly. It’s a basic and straightforward task but critical in achieving optimal energy efficiency and good air quality.
The filter collects particles such as dander, dust, and pollen that can hinder airflow and clog the system. That makes the equipment work harder, consuming more energy and elevating utility costs.
It further wears on the components, leading to premature malfunctioning and a frequent need for repairs. Because the air filter is “full,” it can’t take on more particles. This leaves them to degrade the air quality further, triggering allergy sufferers and those with respiratory concerns.
The recommendation is to switch the old filter out roughly every 90 days or as the manufacturer recommends. If you live in a home with pets or an area prone to much pollen or other pollutants, inspect the filter often and consider changing it every 30 days, especially in the spring and fall.
Seasons inspections
While a professional will do an inspection and tune-up at least once each year, a proactive approach to household HVAC care is visually inspecting the system with each season change. This allows you to catch minor defects or simple issues that can readily be corrected before becoming significant problems.
Some things to look for include leaking fluids, frost accumulation, and corrosion, each of which could indicate a developing issue. With this inspection, the area surrounding the equipment, as well as the accessible ductwork and the exterior compressor, should be assessed.
If you find issues, you can then reach out to a professional HVAC repair contractor to address the problems and stave off the possibility of a breakdown.
The batteries
Not all homeowners keep track of fresh batteries in the thermostat, nor do they have it as part of their routine home maintenance. It’s a small task, but it contributes to the function of the HVAC.
The thermostat, in fact, is the hub of the household’s heating and cooling, regulating the temperature to keep the house comfortable and instructing the unit when to come on and go off.
When batteries grow weak, the thermostat becomes inefficient when communicating with the system, leading to the potential for short cycling, temperature discrepancies, or an incomplete system activation. The HVAC can be unnecessarily strained or lead to equipment shutdown.
The batteries must be consistently strong to accurately and adequately regulate the temperature to your desired comfort level.
The recommendation is to set an alert on the calendar when you put in fresh batteries to replace these with fresh ones in roughly 6-8 months, maybe in the fall, with the professional tune-up. Go here for tips on preparing your HVAC for winter.
Final Thought
Professional preventive maintenance and tune-ups involve thorough inspections to detect defects early and make the necessary repairs so major issues don’t have a chance to develop. The service can tremendously improve the system function and its energy efficiency for an extended lifespan.
By entrusting your HVAC equipment to a highly trained and qualified professional for annual service calls, you will invest in consistently improved air quality and long-term overall comfort, not to mention incredible cost savings for your household.
