What a marvelous age to be alive! Modern human habitats have evolved to provide comfortable temperatures in a wide variety of environments. Whether the summer sun is blasting a hot storm or the winter chill is dropping below zero, your HVAC unit can keep you cool and cozy year-round with proper HVAC maintenance.
Unfortunately, because most of its work goes unseen, the HVAC unit gets little appreciation and attention until the worst happens. Once the HVAC unit goes on the blitz, residential and commercial property owners will scramble to get their HVAC back online to avoid the harsh elements brewing outdoors. But, why not apply the same desperation to preserving the life of your HVAC and effectively avoiding these mishaps.
Those looking to enjoy a balmy 68° -75°F all year round should consider bringing in the professionals regularly to keep their HVAC systems on point. The benefits of this type of attention go far beyond mere comfort, professional HVAC maintenance benefits your budget and the health of those within your home or office building.
Of course, the HVAC plays a role that is largely behind the scenes and takes place within the infrastructure of the home. For this and many other reasons, it is easy for most people to postpone and even ignore issues until it is no longer possible. But, this is not a viable plan for maintaining your HVAC units, comfort, or economy.
In the following article, we will take a closer look at some of the ways an economically-minded homeowner, like yourself, can keep your HVAC functional and the advantages of providing this vital service to your most important home appliance.
Importance of Regular HVAC Repair and Maintenance
Many people begin thinking of their poor HVAC system only after the obvious signs of disrepair have manifested themselves. But, this is no way to treat a highly-developed piece of equipment. Just like your car or your home itself, you can stay miles ahead of costly repairs by catching these problems before they have strained the machine into an early grave.
DIY HVAC Maintenance Tasks to Work Into Your Home Routine
Check and Replace Your Air Filters – the filters of your home are not just there to look nifty, they are a vital part of what keeps the interior components of your HVAC clean, healthy and running smoothly. Dirty air filters make it harder for the HVAC system to perform its proper function, this strain shortens longevity and hastens the needs for costly replacements.
You can avoid this by never allowing your air filters to become clogged and dirty. How long this takes will depend on the elements in your environment. If you have an HVAC functioning in a crowded city or in a location with many people or pets, you may need to perform this task more often. As a general rule, the filters should be swapped out at least every 90 days, but many will not last that long.
Furthermore, you can further improve the function of your HVAC system and lessen the strain by choosing high-quality air filters. The Filti Filter is designed to have a higher capacity to trap particles and keep your home’s system clean and clear of unhealthy airborne particles.
Keep Your AC and Heating System Free of Debris
A clean house has less dust and other particulate matter floating through the air, ergo, less debris to clog the filters of your HVAC system. Consider the position of your registers when planning your interior space. It is good to leave a space of two feet in all directions of your HVAC unit’s ducts and vents.
Make sure you detach the registers and wash them well, allow them to dry and return them to their position. Keeping the exteriors of your HVAC clean will go a long way in enhancing its longevity.
Give Your Humidifier a Vacation
When the summertime hits and the air is fresh and moist, you can give your humidifier a needed break by shutting off the water supply. When the winter rolls around again, you can replace the water panel and set the humidity between 30-40%. Switch it on and beat back the dryness of winter in comfort.
Be on the Lookout for Signs of Disrepair
Get familiar with the way your HVAC unit works and sounds (and even smells) when it is operating properly. Take the time to notice small malfunctions like drips, staining, odd smells, or strange sounds coming from the unit. If you feel your HVAC is not cooling or warming properly, don’t just kick the thermostat up a notch. This could be a sign that something is wrong with the setup or function of your HVAC unit and repairs might be needed.
Here are some of the things to look for:
- Slow Air Flow
- System Leaks
- A Faulty Thermostat
- Indoor Humidity
- Interesting Odors
There are not too many repairs that can be applied to an HVAC if you don’t have experience in these machines. It is usually best to call in the professionals to restore the functionality of the HVAC.
Advantages of Regular Professional Maintenance
There is plenty you can do as a home or commercial property owner to keep your HVAC from running down. But, there will come a time when you have to call in the professionals. The changing of the seasons is the best time for hard-working and older HVAC units to receive some professional attention.
Of course, if you have noticed that your HVAC unit is suffering from smaller complaints or manifesting signs of disrepair, this is also a good time to call in an experienced service team to perform a professional inspection and maintenance.
Here are some of the most important benefits of regular professional HVAC Maintenance:
- Improved Air Quality
- Longer Life for Your HVAC Equipment
- Improved Value of HVAC Function
- Health benefits for the residents of the home.
- Greater Energy Efficiency
As you can see, there are many benefits of paying a little attention to your HVAC before its function has been affected. Keeping up with regular DIY maintenance not only extends the life of your HVAC unit it will also improve your indoor experience. Finally, make sure that your HVAC unit is tuned up by professional HVAC experts in the fall and spring to ensure HVAC problems are remedied quickly.
It is always good to consult an expert resource on air conditioners like homeairguides.com that provides helpful information on all aspects of air conditioning units. Home Air Guides provides how-to articles, product reviews, and tips on how to stay cool with and without air conditioners.
I appreciate you for helping me understand the importance of air conditioning maintenance. Since I’m planning to consider hiring an HVAC installation service, it’s good to know the significance of having it maintained. I like what you said that this improves the air quality and extends the life of the unit. Perhaps, I must hire one soon when my ac system needs some cleaning.
Well this is awesome post and written very well. Your point of view is very good.
Thank you for telling us that it is important to do maintenance on our air conditioners so that we can save a lot in the future from big repairs. My husband and I just got married and moved into our first home and want to make sure that we take care of it well. We will look into a service that can do maintenance for our air conditioner.
My younger sister and her husband have recently noticed that their house has been very humid. Thank you for pointing out to me how indoor humidity is a sign that your HVAC unit needs to be repaired or serviced. I will suggest that they find a reputable HVAC service to repair their AC unit so their home is no longer humid.
Energy efficiency matters a lot to us here at home considering how many devices we use on a daily basis. Doing anything we can to reduce our power bills is something we constantly try to manage. After reading your article, I’ll definitely hire an HVAC expert that can lend us a hand with regular maintenance to keep our bills manageable.