The short answer is yes. If you neglect seasonal maintenance for your heating system, you may be causing some major problems down the line. When your heating and cooling equipment is well maintained, it will work better, consume less energy, be less prone to failures, and last longer. In this article, we will take a closer look at the importance of seasonal HVAC maintenance and what it covers.
Lowering Your Energy Bills
If your HVAC system is regularly maintained, it will keep your home comfortable all year round. But, it can also reduce your energy use by 10-20% with no detriment to the level of cooling or heating performance. In comparison, if your HVAC system isn’t maintained at all, it could increase your energy use by 30-60%. During the summer and winter months, we rely on our HVAC systems, but let’s face it; they can be expensive to run. Of course, you can lower your energy bills with passive methods such as creating shade, fixing drafts, boosting insulation levels, and more. But, changes that you make to your HVAC system will have an immediate effect on your energy consumption.
Improving Safety
Regular inspections and maintenance can uncover safety issues that can have a major impact on your home. One of the most dangerous problems could be lurking in the heat exchanger of your furnace. Small cracks can appear over time as the heat exchanger ages, and they are only visible when the furnace is running. These cracks can release carbon monoxide (CO), which is a deadly poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide cannot be detected by smell or sight, and that is why it’s important to have a detector near your furnace.
Another frightening aspect of heat exchanger cracks is that they can release flames when they become larger. Natural gas furnaces are a leading cause of house fires, many of which lead to fatalities. Many of us choose a natural gas furnace because the fuel is less expensive and it heats a home efficiently. But, it’s important to get the furnace checked before the start of each heating season to ensure that it’s safe to use.
Hire a Professional
These days it’s easy to find teaching materials online, and developing DIY skills is a great way to save money. But, there are certain tasks that are best left to a professional, and this includes working on HVAC systems. The HVAC system in your home is a complex piece of equipment, and it’s easy to injure yourself or cause expensive damage if you don’t know what you’re doing. When it comes to this kind of work, always hire a local certified HVAC specialist to get the job done right the first time.
8 Basic HVAC Maintenance Tasks
When you get your HVAC system inspected and serviced, there are eight basic tasks that apply to the heating and cooling units. They are:
- Changing the Air Filters
This is easy to do yourself, but many people forget, and the technician will change them anyway. A steady supply of fresh air is essential for the HVAC system, and if the filter is clogged, it can cause a lot of serious problems, including a loss of efficiency, overworked units, premature replacement, and more frequent repairs. Make an effort to change your air filters between maintenance visits, and your system will perform more efficiently.
- Clearing Supply Return Vents
Some vents supply hot or cold air to the room, and these are easy to recognize. But, there are other supply return vents that don’t seem to have any air running through them. For this reason, some people cover them with drapes, furniture, or other items. This is a bad idea because a supply return vent is designed to pull air out of rooms to be heated or cooled. When these vents are covered, the airflow is compromised, and this causes the equipment to overwork. Eventually, you may be looking at a pricey repair bill or even an earlier than anticipated replacement.
- Thermostat Inspection
Think of the thermostat as the brain of your entire heating and cooling system, and you can start to see the importance of this unit. The thermostat needs to be checked to ensure that it’s calibrated, or you may be losing performance and efficiency. If you have an older thermostat, you may want to consider an upgrade to a programmable or smart unit.
- Lubricating Moving Parts
There are small mechanical moving parts in your HVAC system that require some lubrication from time to time. When a part is poorly lubricated, it will create friction leading to a loss of efficiency and an increased chance of failure.
- System Control Test
The HVAC system must be able to cycle correctly during the start-up and shutdown cycles. If these functions don’t work well, you can see a sharp spike in your energy use at these times. This wastes money, but it also causes unnecessary wear on your HVAC system components.
- Inspecting the Condensate Drain
As the HVAC system works, it dehumidifies your home to increase your indoor comfort levels. The moisture collected from the air end up in the condensate drain along with other materials, such as dirt, dust, debris, hair, and more. These materials can cause the drain to clog, leading to an overflow of water. The HVAC technician will inspect the drain, clean it, and flush it to sanitize it and kill any bacteria or mold lurking there.
- Cleaning and Adjusting the Blower Units
The treated air is pushed through the delivery system by blower units. These fan motors need to be checked because they are a moving part, and they work hard. If you keep your air filter clean, the blower units will be cleaner, but they still need to be checked regularly.
- Clearing Debris
The outside units need to be inspected, cleaned, and any debris cleared away to maximize performance and energy efficiency.
In addition to these tasks, there are specific checks and maintenance tasks required for the heating and cooling system too.
If you want to learn more about regular maintenance for your HVAC system, contact your local certified specialist today.