Annual Preventive Maintenance of Your Heating and Cooling Systems (Residential & Commercial Systems)
Annual tune-ups of your heating and cooling equipment, both residential and commercial, will help prevent future problems, unwanted night time breakdowns and expensive overtime rate service call costs. Keep your cooling and heating systems operating at peak performance by having Efficient Heating & Cooling Services perform annual pre-season tune-ups, or HVAC preventive maintenance. HVAC contractors get busy in the summer and winter months, so it’s best to have your cooling system maintenance done in the Spring and the heating system maintenance done in the Fall. To help you remember, plan the check-ups around the time changes in the Spring and Fall.
It’s a Fact: Every heating and cooling system equipment manufacturer recommends an annual check up of the system to help ensure performance and efficiency.
A typical maintenance check-up from Efficient Heating & Cooling Services includes:
- Check programmable thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
- Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system (possible fires) and reduce the life of major components.
- Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increase the amount of electricity you use.
- Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the home and affect indoor humidity levels.
- Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.
Cooling Specific
- Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system’s ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Check your central air conditioner’s refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
- Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system’s efficiency by up to 15 percent.
Heating Specific
- Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger.
- Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems.
- A dirty burner causes improper burner operation. It can also cause the equipment to operate less safely and less efficiently.
- Inspect for cracked or damaged heat exchanger; this can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and can cause death.
Actions to Do Yourself
(Your Efficient Heating & Cooling Services technician will show you how to accomplish the tasks listed below.)
Inspect, clean and change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early equipment failure.
Contact the Schenectady HVAC experts now at (518) 348-3900 to schedule the HVAC preventive maintenance for your heating and cooling systems, residential and commercial!
