HVAC Maintenance Tips

You’ve either moved into a new home or installed a new heating and cooling system. What’s next for you and your HVAC system? If you’re like many homeowners, not much… until there’s a problem. According to Aris Parviz of Virginia’s Able Air-1, Inc., regular maintenance of home HVAC systems is much more important than most people realize. Here Parviz talks about the importance of HVAC system maintenance and explains what must be done to keep your HVAC system in tip-top shape.

Today’s residential HVAC systems are about more than just heating and cooling. Today’s homeowners demand total comfort, and the HVAC industry has responded with more complex, more integrated systems designed to provide optimal indoor air quality, optimal heating and cooling, and improved energy efficiency. As one might expect, these more sophisticated all-inclusive systems are also more expensive than traditional HVAC systems. For this reason, properly maintaining your HVAC system is more important than ever before, both to protect your investment and to ensure that you’re getting what you paid for.

Professional Maintenance

 

Many people balk at the idea of hiring a contractor to maintain an HVAC system that seems to be performing fine. Why fix what isn’t broken? While it’s easy to detect an HVAC system failure, when will the average homeowner discover that his system is not operating as efficiently as it should? When the sky-high utility bills arrive?

When you’ve invested in a high-efficiency HVAC system, you deserve for your system to be delivering maximum efficiency. Likewise, when you’ve invested in an air filtration system, home humidifier or other add-on, you want to know without a doubt that it’s performing properly.

Most manufacturers recommend professional maintenance of any HVAC system at least once per year. Although specific maintenance requirements vary from system to system, yearly maintenance will always involve two very important components — inspection and cleaning.

Regular inspection of your HVAC system serves two functions. First, a thorough inspection will enable the technician to identify and diagnose any problems with efficiency or performance. Second, an inspection will ensure that the system is not posing a health or safety risk to you and your family. This is particularly important for gas-fueled heating systems, as carbon monoxide buildup can create a dangerous, possibly deadly, situation inside the home.

Cleaning certain components of your HVAC system yearly is also an essential part of ensuring its ongoing reliability and efficiency. The cleaner your HVAC system, the better it will perform. And the better your HVAC system performs today, the longer it likely will last.

Ongoing Maintenance

 

While yearly professional maintenance is important, your HVAC system needs a little attention from you every now and then as well. You should check and change your system’s air filter frequently. A dirty filter can lead to a myriad of problems, including a total system failure. Avoid costly repairs and disruptions by taking a few minutes each month to perform this simple task.

You can also do your part to improve your system’s efficiency by keeping the area around outdoor air conditioners or heat pumps free from plants and debris. Be sure that air is able to circulate freely in these areas.

Another important part of your role as a homeowner is understanding that your HVAC system does have a shelf life. If your system is over 15 years old, it is likely costing you more in energy inefficiency and repairs than it would cost to replace it. In addition to improved heating and cooling performance, a newer system would offer substantial cost savings over time, improved air quality, and a wide range of options to help make your home safer and more comfortable for you and your family.