Top Reasons Why You Should Invest in Preventive HVAC Maintenance
When your HVAC system is humming along, it’s tempting to skip seasonal maintenance and simply wait until there’s a problem to call for help. But scheduling preventive HVAC maintenance regularly in the spring and fall can actually save you money while ensuring your uninterrupted comfort. Here’s how.
Why Preventive Maintenance Matters
It’s not just about a tuneup: preventive HVAC maintenance is a way to alert you before systems fail and you’re left without an air conditioner or heating when you need it most. For instance, a trained technician can spot an issue with the A/C capacitor, long before the equipment fails. The capacitor, which boosts the fan motor with an electric charge so it can get going, is one of the most common reasons for A/C malfunction. Replacing it before it goes bad means you never have to sit in the heat and wait for the technician to arrive with a new part.
It can also be a safety issue. Your furnace’s heat exchanger, for instance, can develop small cracks over time. Those cracks can worsen, and ultimately leak carbon monoxide. A technician will be on the lookout for this and other problems that might compromise the safety of your home.
Preventive maintenance also promotes efficiency. Your HVAC technician will test the thermostat, sensors and controls to make sure your equipment is performing at its peak efficiency.
A Preventive Maintenance Checklist
Each season, your technician will check specific functions of the air conditioner and the furnace, and some functions that apply to both. Spring or fall, a technician should check thermostat settings, electrical connections and voltage and current, the condensate drain, the blower and all controls. In spring, the refrigerant charge and coils should be checked; in fall, the furnace’s gas or oil connections, burners, heat exchanger and gas or oil pressure should be checked.
At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues — especially HVAC and plumbing issues — so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Bart Everson/Flickr”