Your HVAC system for your heating and cooling is quite an investment when you first have it installed in a new home or office building or when you need an upgrade due to failure of the old unit. As such, you should invest a small amount of money in maintenance on the system twice a year–once before you turn on your air conditioner before the summer and once before you turn on the heater for the winter.
Why Should You Have HVAC Maintenance?
This is a very important bi-annual service that helps you to save money on your HVAC system in several ways. If you don’t get your air conditioner or heater checked before you turn it on, it can harm parts that may not be working quite right and add up in expensive costs when you need repairs in the dog days of summer. Many people do this and then it makes getting a technician from a HVAC company Austin TX hard to schedule you quickly. This can lead to a few days of sweltering heat when you could have had your system checked in advance of turning it on.
You also save money on monthly energy bills when your system is checked out and running in tiptop condition. If your system isn’t energy efficient it will also work some of the components much harder and then it will lead to early failure and the need to replace the entire system prematurely–at a large cost.
What is Involved in HVAC Maintenance?
When you schedule a HVAC maintenance call, a highly trained electrician from a HVAC company Austin TX will arrive at your home and check all components of the system to ensure that they are operating properly.
He will check the thermostat and make certain that it works properly to keep you comfortable and to save you energy if you aren’t at home. Your technician will check all of the electrical connections and make certain they are tight so your system will perform properly. Loose connections can actually cause sparks that in some cases can lead to a fire and burn your entire system. He will lubricate all moving parts in the HVAC system. Again, if you run a system with two moving parts that are low on lubrication they will cause friction and can lead to a fire in some cases. Other items include checking and inspecting the condensate drain. If a condensate drain is plugged up, it can lead to water leaks in your home or business and be an expensive repair.
Your technician will also clean the evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. If you have dirty coils, it reduces the system’s ability to cool your home properly, causes the system to run longer to cool your home while increasing your energy costs and lowering the life of your HVAC equipment. He will also check your refrigerant level and add some to your unit if it needs it. Low refrigeration levels also cause inadequate cooling, lower efficiency and reduce the life of your HVAC unit. The blower components will be cleaned and adjusted as needed to provide proper airflow. According to Energy Star, improper airflow can reduce your system’s efficiency by up to 15 percent.
You can now see why it is so important to have your HVAC system maintained throughout the year to save you valuable money on repairs, energy costs and having to replace your unit prematurely. Acting proactively with a maintenance call can correct things before they become a disaster at the expense of your pocketbook.
