Spring is the Time for Commercial HVAC Maintenance
In a large building, there’s a lot of room for problems to develop in the heating and cooling system and get out of hand before you realize it. Routine commercial HVAC maintenance ensures any issues are identified and corrected early. With the cold of the Delaware and New Jersey area winter retreats and the summer heat still far off, spring is the perfect time to schedule that maintenance.
Why Your System Needs a Spring Break
All winter, your heating system has been working hard to keep out the cold. During this daily effort, the system collects dust and sustains wear and tear. Common issues that occur with normal use include dust on your blower fan motor, a dirty burner, loose wires, and an improperly calibrated thermostat. Most of these aren’t immediately obvious, but they reduce your system’s energy efficiency. When you’re heating a large commercial building, even a small drop in efficiency can cost you.
If ignored, minor issues worsen and can eventually cause components to fail early. You’ll end up incurring replacement costs that could have been avoided with a minor investment in commercial HVAC maintenance. You also risk losing days of work because your building isn’t usable without a functioning HVAC system.
Other problems pose safety concerns. Loose wires can spark a fire, a cracked heat exchanger can release deadly carbon monoxide gas, and undetected cracks in your gas lines can lead to gas leaks.
After winter, we typically see a period of balmy spring weather that’s perfectly comfortable without either heating or cooling. You can give your heating and cooling system a rest without affecting your workflow. Once the summer heat hits, your HVAC system will again be under heavy daily use. Running it all summer without cleaning and repairs is asking for trouble. That’s why it’s so important to take advantage of the mild spring temperatures to take care of your commercial HVAC maintenance needs.
How Your Technician Will Help
During a professional commercial HVAC maintenance inspection, your maintenance technician will inspect your entire system, cleaning and making minor repairs where necessary. Your technician will alert you if any components are due for replacement soon and advise you on upgrades you may benefit from. If extensive repairs are needed, spring is a convenient time to have them done. As part of the inspection, your technician will:
Replace the air filter — A dirty filter interferes with airflow into the system, forcing the motor to work harder and dragging down the system’s energy efficiency. While your building maintenance crew should be replacing the filters on schedule, your HVAC maintenance will also do this during annual maintenance.
Clean the fan assembly — The blower fan blades can become coated with dust, reducing their ability to move air. The fan motor can also pick up dust and debris that and , if ignored, can damage the motor.
Test the motor voltage and amp — Excessive amp draw and low voltage impairs the motor’s performance and can wear it out early.
Inspect the wiring — Wiring and connections that are loose, corroded or damaged pose an efficiency and safety concern. Your technician will tighten loose connections and replace wiring as necessary.
Clean the burners — Dirty burners cause poor combustion. This can lead to delayed ignition, which can eventually destroy furnace by cracking the heat exchange.
Clean the evaporator coil — Even a few millimeters of dust on your A/C indoor evaporator coil reduces its efficiency and cooling performance.
Verify temperatures and pressures — The technician will test the temperature drop and rise, and the supply and return air static pressures to make sure the system is providing the comfort it should be.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection, and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial, and Residential settings. For more information about commercial HVAC maintenance and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!
Photo Credit: Skitterphoto
