As the cold weather sets in and we enter the last leg of the year, ensuring your home is ready to endure the colder winter season is important. One of the best things you can do is schedule a professional HVAC maintenance service for your heating system. Let’s look at some of the reasons why this is important.
What Is HVAC Maintenance Service?
HVAC maintenance service involves a professional technician from our team coming to your home to evaluate and service your heating system. This can also be done with your air conditioning equipment. We will take care of tasks like lubricating moving parts, checking for toxic emissions, testing electrical connections, and much more. It’s important to have a professional do this service, as we have the appropriate equipment to do so safely.
Energy-Efficient Operation
One of the best reasons to schedule fall or early winter HVAC maintenance service is to ensure that your heating system functions as optimally as possible. Issues like worn-out parts and dirty filters can end up causing inefficiencies and having your heating system running for much longer than necessary. By getting maintenance service and ensuring your system is functioning at its peak, you can help ensure you’re not needlessly throwing away any of your money on excess energy bills.
Identify System Problems
Another great benefit of investing in this service is that it helps identify potential problems. For example, if you have a worn-out fan belt, one of our technicians will let you know so you can replace it before the winter. This will drastically reduce your risk of experiencing an unexpected breakdown during the winter. Furthermore, this helps to keep repair costs relatively minimal, as problems are caught when they’re small and easy to fix.
Maintain Warranty Coverage
Warranty coverage on your HVAC system can be necessary for your financial well-being and security. No one likes encountering an unexpected repair bill. As part of the warranty contract for your HVAC system, you’ll likely find that you’re required to get annual service on your system. If you fail to do so, the manufacturer may deny future warranty repair claims, leaving you paying out of pocket for problems your system has going on.
Ensure Utmost Safety
If your heating system burns natural gas, heating oil, or propane, then it produces a toxic substance known as carbon monoxide. Usually, these toxic fumes are vented outdoors for everyone’s safety. Unfortunately, when a malfunction happens with your heating system, such as a crack in your heat exchanger, it can allow these toxic fumes to accumulate inside your home. This can be extremely dangerous and even lethal. Getting an annual service will help to catch if any toxic fumes are being produced by your heating system so that the problem can be addressed.
Extend System Lifespan
There’s no doubt that a system that receives regular maintenance service is going to outlast one that doesn’t. Investing in fall maintenance service ensures your system gets the care it needs to keep all its internal components in good working condition. With the price of a new HVAC system being quite costly for most homeowners, it only makes sense to do everything possible to extend the lifespan of your heating system so you can get more bang for your buck.
Discover Remaining System Lifespan
One of the most crucial benefits of getting an annual maintenance service is that it gives you an idea about the overall state of your heating system. Our team should be able to tell you how much longer your heating system will approximately last. This can allow you to prepare for a replacement. It will be more convenient to work out the financing ahead of time, and you can schedule the replacement at a time that works best for you.
Homeowner HVAC Maintenance
While getting professional service is necessary to prepare your system for the wintertime, there are some things you’ll want to do as a homeowner to ensure the overall optimal functioning of your system. One task that you never want to forget about is checking your HVAC filter every month. Hold the filter up to a light and look through it. The filter still has a usable lifespan if you can see through it. However, it’s time for a replacement if you can’t see through the filter. It’s best to have a spare filter on hand to perform a replacement as soon as you know one is necessary.
Additionally, walking around all the air vents in your home can be helpful to ensure no obstructions. Ideally, you’ll want a three-foot radius around each vent for optimal airflow. If you notice that any of your vents have a large amount of dust and debris, it’s likely time to consider getting a duct cleaning service to remove the excess debris inside your ductwork. Furthermore, it can be highly beneficial to seal up any air leaks that develop on your exterior walls around the door and window frames. Using caulking or weather stripping, you can seal out the cold air and help increase the efficiency of your heating system.
If you have a smart or programmable thermostat, you should program it to enhance the efficiency of your system. Consider turning the heat down to save energy when you know no one is home. Do yourself a favor, test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors to ensure they function optimally, and replace batteries when necessary. Also, don’t forget to check the use-by date on your fire extinguisher to ensure it’s still operational.
Preparing for Professional System Maintenance
Once you schedule professional maintenance service, there are some things you’ll want to do before your technician arrives. One of the most important tasks is ensuring that you have adequate fuel. If you have a storage tank where you must order fuel, you should ensure fuel is delivered before your HVAC maintenance appointment. Your HVAC technician will be running your system, and they’ll need adequate fuel to function correctly.
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to store items near their furnaces throughout the summer months as they don’t use them. However, moving objects within a six-foot radius is important as we transition into the colder season. You’ll want to ensure adequate space for your technician to access your furnace and work comfortably.
Consider having your chimney swept out and inspected by a professional before servicing your HVAC system. This will ensure optimal safety when your furnace fires up for the first time during winter.
Expert HVAC Maintenance Service
Ahoy! Cooling & Heating offers expert HVAC maintenance service to the entire Tampa Bay, FL, community. If your heater or air conditioning system has broken down, we can repair or replace it. We can help with all your heating, air conditioning, ductless, commercial, air quality, zoning system, and thermostat needs. With our stress-free AC maintenance program, we can make sure your heating and cooling system is ready for anything!
Call us today at Ahoy! Cooling & Heating to book your next HVAC maintenance service consultation in Tampa Bay.
