Spring is the perfect time of year to clean up your home and perform repairs on your home after a long winter. One of the chores you will want to look after at this point will be to schedule an HVAC maintenance inspection. Taking the time to get this looked after now will mean that you will be less likely to run into problems during the peak of the cooling season, when you may end up waiting longer for an appointment. No one wants to be stuck without air conditioning on the hottest day of the summer.
What an HVAC Inspection Should Include
A typical maintenance check on your system should include the following elements:
- A thorough check of the furnace system controls and thermostat to ensure that the starting cycle is working properly and will keep you and your family comfortable
- Making sure that the condensation drain is working correctly. If the drain or pipe is plugged, it can cause water damage and affect humidity levels in your home.
- Tighten the electrical connections and lubricate all HVAC moving parts. Faulty electrical connections and lack of lubrication and reduce the life of these components. An improperly operating system will also use more electricity.
- Check the refrigerant level. Too much or too little refrigerant in the unit will affect its efficiency, leading to increased energy costs and shorten the system’s life.
- Clean the evaporator and the air conditioning coils. Dirty coils will reduce the system’s ability to cool your home, which means your air conditioner must operate longer, which leads to higher energy bills. Longer operating times also reduce your air conditioning system’s life and increase the amount of energy that must be used to keep it operating.
- Make sure that the blower parts are properly adjusted to ensure proper airflow into the unit.
- Change the air filters. Dirty air filters reduce your system’s efficiency and increase energy costs.
