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This article was written by Bret Martinez, he is the HVAC wizard of words, he demystifies the inner workings of your heating and cooling units. From fresh installations to budget-friendly maintenance.
It’s that time of year, everyone’s slowly getting back into work, making new goals for the year, and motivating themselves to get back into being productive.
Well, except for us HVAC technicians; for us – the festive season was the start of a thunderstorm of calls. Customers are trying to figure out why their HVAC units burnt through their wallets in the festive season, maintenance calls are at their peak, and overall – we are busy, which is a great thing.
We all know that famous line – did you turn it off and on again?
While it’s a bit more involved than that, a ton of the service calls that come in around this time of year have a similar solution. When last did you perform maintenance on your unit? Is the filter 10 years old? Well, that explains why your utility bills are eating up your budget!
Let’s start with a quick list for winter. This is the time of the year when heaters are needed and costs soar. With these tips, you can save yourself time and money.
Visual check
Noises to watch out for
Cleaning
If your heater seems to break down more often, it could be one of two things:
For the former, replace aging heaters with a new unit. Despite the initial cost, their better efficiency will save you money in the long term.
For the latter, consider adding a wall furnace to a large room, such as the family room, living room, or workshop. These hard-to-heat rooms can drive up your utility bills since they cause your HVAC system to work harder to heat them.
When winter turns to spring, you’ll have another set of maintenance tasks to go through. This set prepares your HVAC to switch to the air conditioning system. A few items duplicate from your fall/winter list since they need to occur on a regular basis to keep the HVAC healthy.
Visual check
Cleaning
If you know little about HVAC systems, you needn’t become an expert. Many local HVAC service companies offer with maintenance plans to assist homeowners with regular HVAC upkeep. For a modest fee, a professional service technician visits your home twice a year to conduct the system checks described above.
During these visits, the technician notes any system problems and recommends appropriate repairs. Their maintenance fee typically includes replacing worn washers or belts.
The secondary benefit of this maintenance comes from spotting problems as they develop. Identifying a developing problem and nipping it in the bud can save time and money. Addressing an HVAC issue before a breakdown occurs saves you the emergency service fee. You also won’t lose service while it’s particularly cold or hot outside. Conduct your HVAC maintenance check today.
Yes, a filter in an average home lasts around 3 months, but a number of factors impact whether you need to change the filter more or less often. Here’s how to know how often you should replace filters: https://polestarplumbing.com/tips-tricks/must-know-air-quality-practices.