Regular HVAC maintenance is key to keeping your system running efficiently and effectively. We will discuss the importance of scheduling routine maintenance, the tasks involved in a maintenance service, and the benefits of choosing SMITH HVAC for all your maintenance needs. Our skilled technicians will ensure that your system is in top condition, saving you money on energy bills and preventing costly breakdowns.

Do I need an HVAC Maintenance Plan?

We are often asked about reasons for maintenance. Regular, preventive maintenance of your HVAC system is a requirement of home or business ownership. Just as you would not drive your car without ever changing the oil, you should not be constantly operating your HVAC system without maintenance. HVAC maintenance is essential to the health and efficiency of your system. The furnace and the air conditioner and the duct connected to it are the circulatory system of you home. They Clean the air, In many ways Filtering, sometimes Humidifying, even Killing or trapping bacteria and Viruses. Without the proper maintenance it can become the reason people get sick or not feel well. There is a healthy you reason and a healthy house and wallet reason. Without maintenance it can become a money pit. costing you money in extra utilities gas and electricity. It possibly could run all day and night and actually do the opposite of what it is suppose to do, heat when cooling or cold when heating. With proper maintenance it will accentuate your life keeping a healthy home environment, For less money than if you don't maintain it.

What is HVAC maintenance?

Professional HVAC companies will offer a maintenance agreement to be sure your HVAC system is as efficient as possible. A good maintenance plan includes a full inspection and service of your HVAC system. Most annual plans divide the service between two visits per year. This way, you can ensure your AC system is in optimum condition when you need it most in summer, and your heating system is in optimum condition when you need it most in winter! Both services provide a thorough cleaning and inspection, servicing the moving parts of the system that is accessible, testing the appropriate components, and making adjustments as needed.

Remember: you value your car enough to have the oil changed. You value your health enough to have checkups. Your HVAC system is perhaps one of the most valuable parts of your home. Keep your system well-maintained, and it will provide you with comfort and fewer issues for years to come. 

8 Reasons for HVAC Maintenance:

HVAC maintenance will help reduce your green footprint

1. Reduction in electricity consumption.

The steps included in preventive maintenance will thoroughly clean and test various components of your system. Doing so will cause the system to work more efficiently. It will be able to heat and cool easier using less energy meaning less energy consumption and more savings for you! Neglecting HVAC maintenance can cause your system to work harder and harder for the same results, using more and more electricity as the years go on.

2. Prevention of costly repairs.

One of many reasons for maintenance is to detect and correct problem areas early before they become a system failure.  A skilled HVAC technician will often spot problem areas in maintenance before they become a costly surprise. All of the major components(motors and compressors) we can tell by testing them if they are going to go bad. maybe it is borderline bad and we test and record our findings and then when we check it the next time those numbers, like amps or microfarads get worse so we can see a trend. Then we can let you know what the trend is and help make an informed decision on a repair and usually these repairs are significantly less then if we wait for a complete failure of those components. When that happens it is like a domino effect and once the first component fails then that causes a second to start to fail or fail also. They are all interconnected and very often we will see with the lack of maintenance this domino effect go from a $150 quick repair to $1000 or more even to the point that it is cheaper to replace then to repair.

3. Fulfillment of warranty requirements.

If your HVAC components are under warranty, you should know that most manufacturers require evidence of annual maintenance to pay a claim. Those claims get denied If something malfunctions that are covered under warranty, you’ll be able to file your claim with more confidence and ease with evidence of maintenance. In the paperwork that we fill out it will ask if maintenance was neglected and it is not that hard to see that like when the end of a motor is dirty and the holes that are there to cool the windings are plugged up with dust and lint. Or if your air conditioner is full of cottonseed. Unfortunately, it happens more than it should.

4. Improvement of the quality of air in your home.

Part of the function of your HVAC system is to filter pollutants out of the air you and your family or employees breathe. Your HVAC system has to work hard to filter out allergens and pollutants, so the more efficient the system, the higher your air quality will be. Sometimes Air conditioners create the problem of moisture and mold growth in the coil above the furnace it can stay constantly wet especially if not enough air is passing it. It has to be cleaned or the possibility of installing a UV light to kill bacteria mold and viruses. Someone that knows what they are looking for and had the knowledge to make those suggestions will be looking at it on a bi annual basis.

5. Safety of your family and home.

Your technician will test for any leakage of carbon monoxide, which can be deadly for your family. Also, maintenance can help prevent malfunctions in the most extreme temperatures. So the lack of maintenance like not changing filters or checking gas pressures can make the issue of Carbon Monoxide a more likely scenario. So as far as Furnace and the heating season this one should never be neglected for the homeowner business owners safety.

6. Extension of your HVAC system life.

We don't like to make blanket statements because at least one time we will be wrong, But, every time you have a part fail there is typically a reason. I have been in businesses that have a high amount of traffic every person brings a little dirt and dust with them and sometimes you have to decrease the intervals for say filter changes to not have blower motors go bad or wash an outside air conditioner more than once per season. Maintenance will make your system last longer with less problems. Every hvac system is also custom to every house. This customization makes it so that we also cannot make blanket statements on the longevity of all systems, but we can say it will last longer with less problems than without maintenance.

7. Financial savings.

We mentioned your well-maintained system will use less electricity. This results in savings for you. But really all reasons for maintenance we touched on mean savings for you. You may save money by catching an issue before it becomes a costly repair or maybe even get several more years of use out of your system before needing to replace it. You could save money by having a warranty in place to cover necessary repairs or by preventing costly medical treatment for carbon monoxide or allergens and pollutants in your home. The bottom line is that all the reasons for maintenance will improve your bottom line. The small investment in regular HVAC maintenance is well worth the savings you find in other areas of maintenance, repair, and utility costs. It always pays for itself.

8. Comfort

When things work and they are consistent the air is clean the temp is good you are going to be more comfortable.

Homeowner HVAC Maintenance Tasks

Here are some things you, as the homeowner, can do to ensure your HVAC system performs at its peak this spring and summer:

• Change the air filter. Air filters catch dust and other particles out of the air so they don’t accumulate on the components of the HVAC system. Depending on the quality of air filter purchased, you should replace it every 1 to 3 months or when dirt is visible.

• Check air ducts. Before you run the air conditioner, take some time and inspect all of your air ducts for cracks. If you find any cracks (where the ducts have separated from itself), make sure to seal it immediately to properly conduct the cool air.

• Clear your outside unit of any debris. Using a garden hose with low pressure, you can clear the dust and debris from the coils to allow for efficiency. Clear any leaves or other debris from around your unit, as well.

• Ensure that your HVAC systems cools. Listen for unusual sounds or smells coming from the cooling system. Turn the temperature on your thermostat up, then down, to be sure the system responds appropriately. Contact your HVAC professional if anything seems out of the ordinary.

Professional HVAC Maintenance Needs

While some parts of regular maintenance you can handle yourself, a trusted HVAC professional should inspect your system each year before spring or summer. Here are just a few of the things that a professional will do that you typically cannot do as a homeowner:

• Test Refrigerant pressures and make sure that it is at the proper level.

• Check for proper functioning of all parts of your HVAC system

• Identify potential issues before they are apparent in functioning of the system

• Test amperage of the compressor, and the multiple motors.

• Verify all electrical connections are sound

• Safety test controls

• Capacitors,, oil leaking, or bulging what is the microfarads

• gas valve operation and pressures

• clean mixing tubes, heat exchangers

• There are so many things