Let’s start out today with a question: why do you value the importance of eating healthy, exercising, and regularly going to the doctor’s office for a check-up?
The answer for most people is that we not only want to prevent disease, we also want to improve our general health and performance.
If you think of your home heating and cooling systems, the same principles apply. Proper maintenance and regular check-ups of your HVAC system will allow you to save on the cost of replacing the equipment fully over the course of its projected lifecycle, as well as increase the efficiency of its performance.
Let’s dig into the why and how of preventative maintenance for your home heating and cooling systems.
Why is preventative maintenance important?
If you have a clean and well-functioning HVAC system, you will notice a few distinct benefits in your home.
First, you will achieve greater comfort in your home at a more energy efficient rate.
In our available home maintenance plans, we perform a few critical inspections: for example, we check air filters, the operation of the thermostat, and evaluate the condition, tension, and alignment of the fan belt.
These checks and balances ensure that your system is not overwhelmed with dust and debris, and that the components of the system are performing efficiently to heat or cool your home. Evaluating these components will extend the lifespan of your overall unit by avoiding overburdening it or identifying little problems before they become big, expensive problems.
Lastly, maintenance programs also help to identify air quality issues which may be the source of health problems for sufferers of asthma or allergies.
How can you act on preventative maintenance?
To take effective action on preventative maintenance for the systems in your home, start by considering the recommended performance and maintenance tasks for each piece of equipment involved. How often does that piece of equipment need to have maintenance scheduled for peak performance? In what ways does it interact with the other elements of your home system, and how does that impact the maintenance schedule?
For example, your air conditioner should have a replaced or cleaned filter three (3) to four (4) times per year. A dirty filter can cause build up in the evaporator coil, which reduces the air flow of the system and will cause a blockage in the condensate tube.
The evaporator coil located above the furnace also has a clear condensate tube draining into a floor drain. You will want to check this for blockages; there could be drops of water running through it when the air conditioner is operating.
These checks on your system will identify where you may run into longer-term problems and will optimize your heating and cooling system for the best possible home comfort.
Just like a regular healthy eating plan, exercise regime, and visits to the doctor for our bodies, preventative maintenance for our HVAC systems will help extend the life and enhance performance of the system!
Ask your Applewood representative about our available maintenance packages. We are happy to sit down with you to consider the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of your preventative maintenance.
