You may think that your heating and air conditioning units run just fine on their own. Especially if you are a renter, it can be difficult to remember how important it is to keep up on things like this. If the owner of your home is not taking responsibility then you will want to remind them yourself. Without proper care and employment of heating and air conditioning services, you are likely to be faced with the prospect of a completely broken down HVAC system, in dire need or repair or even replacement. And it would be just Murphy’s Law that it would happen in the middle of the blistering heat of summer, just when you wanted to sit in the cool of your home. Here is a list of the things that you should do to ensure heating and air conditioning services are properly taken care of throughout the entire year.
Weekly
- Clear away leaves, pollen, grass, sticks and other debris from the unit, if your HVAC system is an outdoor unit. A two foot clearing should also be kept around the unit. Not clearing away the debris will cause your unit to overwork itself in an attempt to keep up with the regular demands.
- If your unit is indoors, make sure that there is no dust build up on the unit for the same reasons as above.
- Make sure no one in the household is storing items in the same cupboard or closet as the unit. This is not only dangerous but can cause the unit to corrode or rust, shortening it’s life span considerably.
Monthly
- Make sure that you are replacing the filters once every three months at the minimum. If you have pets it may be sooner. Check the filters monthly to make sure they aren’t getting to dirty. In order to decrease your electricity bill and promote energy efficiency, you can invest in high efficiency pleated air filters. They last longer and work better than the normal kind.
- Inspect the refrigerant lines that lead into the house. Insulation should also be checked during this time. Any parts that are damaged or missing should be fixed or replaced as needed.
Annually
- Every year, outdoor units should be checked to make sure that they are on firm and level ground with no slopes or tilting. This can occur naturally over time so it’s important to add this to your list of heating and air conditioning services. If you want to get the ground leveled professionally, this is recommended.
- In order to clean the air conditioning condensate drains, pour a mixture of bleach and water down them. This prevents potential mold and mildew as well as algae, all of which could cause the drains to become clogged.
Seasonally
- In the summer the water that goes to the furnace humidifier should be turned off and then turned back on in the fall, or whenever you will be needing to use the heating element.
- Have the unit professionally inspected twice a year. Once in the fall and once in the spring. These are known as low usage months. It’s best to have the unit checked when you are not constantly using it. It gives the inspector a better idea of what’s going on and also if he or she needs to turn it off, then it won’t disrupt the atmosphere of your home.
When you are compiling your list of heating and air conditioning services, it may be a good idea to actually get a professional on the phone and find out exactly what it is you need to be doing in order to keep your unit running efficiently and effectively. There’s no harm in caring to much for the unit but you can definitely not care enough. If you don’t care enough, you run the risk of having to shell out a lot of unnecessary money in repairs and replacements that really could have been avoided all together. You may feel like you are paying money for inspections and maintenance that could be saved, but the truth it you are actually saving money by keep up with the maintenance. Compared to the amount you would pay for new HVAC systems, your wallet is safe with upkeep.