HVAC Maintenance – Do and Don’ts For Homeowners in 2022
The proper maintenance of the HVAC system is required to keep it running smoothly and provide you with efficient cooling. But we have seen lots of people doing the HVAC system maintenance at home to save a few dollars, but keep in mind, not doing HVAC maintenance properly will make your cooling or heating unit inefficient in the long run.
We are not saying that you should not do maintenance at home but recommend hiring a professional for the maintenance related to air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps, which is complicated, and there is no problem in doing maintenance of other parts at home if you can.
For the HVAC system owners whose background is related to HVAC, if you are one of them thinking you can handle the entire maintenance yourself, then we recommend you to talk with your HVAC Contractor first. Then after taking his guidance, you can do everything on your own.
No matter who handles the HVAC maintenance, regular maintenance is essential. Proper maintenance helps you save lots of money on energy bills and keeps your system running smoothly for years. The time-to-time care also helps you bypass a significant repair.
Below in this article, we have shared everything you can do to keep your HVAC system running smoothly and how you can prepare your property for future maintenance so that the technician can do its job effectively and quickly. Here is a quick guide to HVAC do’s and don’ts.
Quick Guide to HVAC Do’s
1. Hire a professional
As we recommended above, do not try to do the HVAC maintenance at home if you are not from the same background or lack knowledge. If you do the maintenance improperly, there is a high chance that your system will not be able to provide you with the optimal cooling or heating experience and comfort.
Mostly what happens with improper maintenance is your system will be unable to maintain the cooling and temperatures, and it will operate at the total capacity to do so, which will result in extensive repair in the upcoming days.
If your HVAC system is under the manufacturer’s warranty and you try to do any maintenance at home, it will void the manufacturer’s warranty. You should get in touch with the manufacturer’s authorized technician who has the experience and tools needed to maintain the system; the insurance backs the work of those technicians.
2. Improve the efficiency of your home
The performance of the HVAC system is not just related to the maintenance of the HVAC system. The condition and location of your property matter most. The property’s location can not be changed, but the property’s condition can be changed; you can do lots of home projects to improve the efficiency and performance of your cooling and heating units.
Like, you can reduce the wear and tear on your system to make it energy efficient and ultimately save money on bills. If you can, we recommend replacing single pane windows with dual ones and considering adding weather stripping around the draughty doors and windows.
You should also install additional attic insulation, which helps you stop the loss of heat and cool air through the roof and attic of your home. When more air is saturated in the home, your system needs to run less, saving lots of energy.
3. Research contractors before hiring one
Whether installing the new HVAC system or looking for contractors just for routine maintenance, hiring one with certification uses HVAC software, has good reviews, and has experience is very important. We found lots of people doing the same things: finding, calling, and hiring the cheapest professional in the town, whether he is qualified for the work or not.
If you want to hire the right contractors, you should do the proper research, ask them for their certifications, ask them if they will perform the professional energy audit using Home Auditors and HVAC load calculator, search about them on the internet, see the reviews on their social media profiles and ask them what their tune-up includes. Only hire professionals if you are satisfied with all the answers.
The tune-ups done by the right contractors will make your cooling and heating system more efficient and make a world of difference.
Quick Guide to HVAC Don’ts
1. Don’t leave it running all the time.
You should turn your HVAC system off when you are not at home, especially when going out for the next few hours. Many users think that if they keep the system running, then they will get their home comfortable when they come back. It’s right, but you can also turn on the system when you come back, and it will take only a few minutes for your system to maintain the desired cooling or heating.
Doing it will save lots of energy.
2. Skip annual maintenance
It is not good at all to skip the annual maintenance. Mostly the house owners forgot to schedule a tune-up, and they also think there is no harm and no foul. It will negatively impact the effectiveness and lifespan of your system.
The professional tune-up is more than just another maintenance. Cleaning throughout the inspection and system revitalization will help your HVAC system run better efficiently. Doing the maintenance on time will keep your system in good condition, and you will face significantly fewer problems.
3. Put off recommended repairs.
When you hire a professional for HVAC maintenance, they will inspect your system and spot impending repairs which may lead to system breakdown if left untreated. We have seen many people just hearing the professional and ignoring the information. You should not do this.
The experienced HVAC professional knows how to check the system thoroughly, and they can quickly spot potential issues. When the professional spots any problem in your HVAC system, you should ask him if it is an urgent repair; you should repair it immediately.
Those are the few quick HVAC do’s & don’ts, I hope this guide helped you.