Importance of HVAC Maintenance | Maintenance Scheduling Tips | What to Expect From Check-up | What You Can Do At Home
Your HVAC system is essential for keeping your home comfortable, especially in Texas. Your air conditioner puts in a lot of work throughout the summer months, which means it experiences a lot of wear and tear from near-constant use. With HVAC maintenance from the experts here at Arthur Hagar, you can help your AC unit and all your heating and cooling systems perform well year after year. Trust Fort Worth’s favorite HVAC specialists since 1949, and call Arthur Hagar today to schedule your maintenance check-up!
The Importance of Maintenance
If your heating and air conditioning system appears to be working fine, then you may wonder why you should bother with maintenance at all. You can always call Arthur Hagar when you need repairs, right? While it’s true we are here for all your HVAC needs, including repairs, maintenance can actually help you avoid the need for repairs — and the bill that comes with them. Read on to learn how you can benefit from regular HVAC maintenance, and call us today to get started!
Improve Efficiency
HVAC units, especially those manufactured recently, are designed to be as efficient as possible. However, those innovative designs and interesting features won’t last forever, and your heating and cooling system will lose efficiency over time. Lost efficiency can lead to many unpleasant side effects, from uncomfortable temperatures in your home to sky-high utility bills.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your system in peak condition. A maintenance check-up of your HVAC system allows a technician to inspect each part and ensure that it is clean and functional. Schedule an inspection annually and you can rest assured that your unit is operating as efficiently as it can.
Improve Air Quality
Whether from use or seasonal neglect, your HVAC system can accumulate debris throughout its lifetime. Without proper maintenance, dust, dirt, and other allergens may be forced through your ductwork and circulated throughout your home. This can cause poor air quality and trigger bad reactions in those people with allergies or sensitive medical conditions. A maintenance appointment gives your HVAC technician a chance to clean your system and allows you to start fresh each season.
Improve Appliance Lifetime
Your HVAC system works hard to keep you comfortable, and problems like built-up debris or old and broken parts can sabotage its effectiveness. A dirty or inefficient HVAC system has to work even harder to reach your preferred temperatures, and this can shorten its lifespan. If you don’t regularly care for your AC unit, heat pump, or furnace, you may find yourself looking for a replacement sooner than you had hoped. Regular maintenance can help your unit operate at its best and last for decades!
Prevent Expensive Repairs
One of the most important functions of a maintenance check-up is spotting issues before they become big, expensive problems. You don’t want to be surprised by a broken or malfunctioning HVAC unit, especially in the summer heat, and a proper inspection by a professional can help you prevent disaster. HVAC maintenance is a more affordable alternative to emergency repairs, as the technicians at Arthur Hagar can often spot problems before they start and offer simple, more budget-friendly solutions.
One appointment once or twice a year can save you a lot of headaches in the future! Help keep your HVAC system in great shape and contact Arthur Hagar today to schedule your maintenance check-up! Our technicians will be respectful of your home and your appliances, and with a cleaning and inspection, they can help prevent you from needing our emergency repair services in the future!
Tips on Scheduling HVAC Maintenance
Maintenance can be easy to forget and overlook, unlike scheduling repairs for immediate problems. We hope you’re now convinced that maintenance is worthwhile, but deciding when to schedule your check-up can be a challenge. If you don’t notice any problems, then how do you know if it’s time for a maintenance call?
Invest in Annual Maintenance
The general rule of thumb when it comes to HVAC maintenance is that you should have your unit inspected and serviced at least once a year. Regardless of how often you use it – or neglect it – your unit is bound to accumulate dust and dirt on the coils and within the ductwork. Studies show that you can lose up to 5 percent of your HVAC system’s operating efficiency every year from regular use. A maintenance service call gives you a chance to recoup that percentage lost and address any other problems.
Schedule Your Check-Up by Season
You want to schedule your maintenance call before the HVAC unit in question has to be on duty, which means that you can determine your maintenance schedule by the season. Make an appointment for your air conditioner in the spring, before temperatures spike, to make sure you can stay comfortable throughout the summer. When it comes to your heating system, you should have it checked in the fall before it’s called into action.
Consider the Factors
Annual maintenance may be the rule of thumb, but it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best choice for your home and HVAC system. After all, we live in Texas, and that means our air conditioners are up and running most of the year to help us beat the heat. That much use means that it experiences more wear and tear than an AC unit in a more northern state would, and more wear and tear means a higher need for maintenance.
See You in Six Months!
We recommend planning for a maintenance call from the Arthur Hagar crew once every six months. You may want to invest in a service check-up even more often if you are working with an older, less efficient system, or you have an HVAC unit like a heat pump that you use in some capacity year-round. We understand that maintenance can seem like an unnecessary expense, but as we have discussed, it’s an important investment in your comfort and the life of your HVAC system.
Contact Arthur Hagar today to discuss the needs of your HVAC system and schedule your seasonal check-up!
What to Expect From Your Maintenance Check-Up
We’ve talked about all the great benefits of regular HVAC maintenance, from the health, safety, and comfort of your family to saving money. Now, you may be wondering what actually happens during a maintenance service call. The short answer is: a lot! We’ve broken it down to give you a brief overview. For more information or in-depth details, please don’t hesitate to contact an Arthur Hagar team member! We are here to help.
Inspection
Your HVAC maintenance appointment will start with a thorough inspection. Your heating and cooling system is complex, with many small parts and electrical connections, and your technician will do their best to look over every piece to ensure it is operating correctly. This includes examining the vents, filters, the blower, the belts, the thermostat, and more. The technician may also test a few items, like the blower, to better understand voltage levels and other aspects that contribute to efficiency and efficacy.
Cleaning
Another important step during a maintenance check-up is cleaning your HVAC system. As we mentioned, your unit will accumulate dirt, dust, and other debris over time. This buildup can negatively affect many aspects of your system, including proper airflow and drainage, and it can also contribute to indoor allergies or illness if harmful particles continue to be circulated through your ductwork. Your technician will help reset your unit to a like-new state by performing a number of tasks, including but not limited to:
- Cleaning and replacing air filters
- Cleaning indoor and outdoor components
- Checking for and removing any obstructions
Repairs or Replacements
If, during the inspection, your technician notices any worn or damaged parts, then they will repair or replace what they can during the maintenance check-up. If they don’t have the resources necessary, then they can order the parts you need and schedule a follow-up service call at another time.
This step of the process can also include replacing fluids. Your AC unit relies on refrigerant to work properly, and the improper amount of refrigerant can lead to damage and/or inefficiencies. Low levels of refrigerant can also indicate a leak or other problems, which your technician should check for before simply adding more fluid.
Recommendations
Once your HVAC specialist has done all they can to return your heating and cooling system to peak efficiency, they should give you a list of recommended repairs or upgrades that can make more of a difference. This is also your time to ask any questions you have to make sure you are informed about the condition of your system.
Are you ready to give your heating and cooling system a tune-up? Contact Arthur Hagar today! We are Fort Worth’s Top Rated Local® HVAC specialists because we do everything we can to make maintenance appointments easy and keep your system in peak condition. From HVAC repairs to installations, we have the expertise and the equipment to keep your home comfortable year-round. Schedule your maintenance check-up today!
What You Can Do At Home
The more often you invest in maintenance for your HVAC system, the better, of course, but that maintenance doesn’t always have to be done by a professional technician. While you likely won’t be able to diagnose electrical problems or replace broken parts, there are a few tasks that you can tackle yourself to keep your system running efficiently in between official check-ups.
First Steps
The first thing you need to do before you go anywhere near your heating or AC unit is to shut off the power. There are a lot of moving parts involved in a heating and cooling system, as well as complicated electrical components you’ll want to avoid. Stay safe and power down your unit first thing! You should be able to find a shut-off box on or near your exterior unit, and you can also shut off the power from the breaker box.
Clean Your Unit’s Exterior
The easiest task to DIY is cleaning the area around your HVAC unit. Remove debris like dirt and dead leaves to keep airflow free and clear. You can clean the exterior coils and fins with a soft brush or a hose with gentle water pressure — be cautious here, because too much pressure can bend the delicate fins and affect the workings of your unit!
Clean Your Unit’s Interior
If you feel comfortable cleaning the interior parts of your unit, you can remove the cover with a screwdriver or similar tool. Wipe off the interior coils with a cloth or use a specially formulated no-rinse coil cleaner.
Clean Your Home
Inside the house, there are a few more steps you can take to ensure your HVAC system is happy. The number one task you should become comfortable with is replacing air filters. They are readily available at very low prices, and they should be replaced often. Aim for new air filters every 30 to 90 days. While you’re at it, dust off or vacuum debris from the registers inside your home to avoid circulating allergens with the warm or cool air.
Once you’ve finished these tasks, and you’re done working with the HVAC unit itself, you can turn the power back! You should also take the time to make sure that you have a maintenance service call on your schedule. Cleaning some of the components of your heating and cooling system does make a difference, but it can’t replace the expert inspection and maintenance performed by a professional technician. For more tips on caring for your HVAC system, check out our blog! We offer year-round advice and information on keeping your home climate safe, comfortable, and budget-friendly.
Contact Arthur Hagar Today!
If you ever have any questions, don’t forget that you can turn to the experts at Arthur Hagar! We have been serving Fort Worth since 1949 with an unparalleled dedication to high-quality service and customer satisfaction. When you have concerns about your HVAC system, or you want to schedule a preventative maintenance check-up, we hope you choose our team. We look forward to working with you!
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