Homeowners know that they need to maintain their home heating appliances. Unfortunately, most of them postpone the maintenance as they deem that as long as the appliance is running, they have nothing to worry about. Far from this.
Effects of HVAC maintenance procrastination
According to HVAC contractors, there are plenty of dangers that come with procrastinating the maintenance of heating appliances. Some of these dangers include:
High running costs: A poorly maintained appliance runs inefficiently and due to this it consumes a lot of energy. The added energy bill is an added burden to you.
Shortened lifespan: Most of the home heating appliances can live up to 15 years; however, when the units are poorly maintained they have a shorter lifespan. Due to this, you are forced to buy a new appliance earlier than you should.
More breakdowns: One of the tasks during the maintenance of the heating units is the tightening of bolts and screws. The heating contractor also gets rid of the faulty parts. This ensures that your unit runs smoothly. When you stay for a long time without maintaining your unit, the screws get loose and the parts get damaged without your notice. This results to your appliance suffering from regular breakdowns.
HVAC maintenance checklist
For proper running of your appliance, you should hire a professional HVAC technician at least once a year to inspect your heating appliance and fix any problems that it might be having. The professional should take a look at both the indoor and outdoor units. When it comes to the outdoor unit, the professional should inspect and ensure that the unit has the proper refrigerant level. The technician should also take a look at the drain opening and get rid of any dirt, leaves, debris or other obstructions that might be there. Most of the heating appliances have fans. The expert you should inspect the fan motor and blades. If they are worn out or damaged, repair them. If they can’t be repaired, the professional should replace them.
When it comes to the indoor units, the contractor should inspect and clean the blower assembly, drain pan, evaporator coil, drain lines, burner assembly, and the heat exchanger. Air filters are of great importance to heating units. The heating unit repair professional should inspect the filters and if dirty, clean them. Sometimes the filters are too dirty or worn out. In such a case the professional should replace them.
