Top 5 Reasons Preventive Maintenance Is so Critical for Your HVAC
HVAC preventive maintenance, which includes both a/c maintenance and furnace maintenance, will not only ensure that your air conditioning system runs as efficiently as possible, it will also prolong the life span of your HVAC system and save you money in the long run. Here are five important reasons why regular HVAC preventive maintenance, regular a/c maintenance, and regular furnace maintenance are so critical to the health and well-being of your HVAC system.
1. Overall HVAC Health
When it comes to HVAC preventive maintenance, you have two choices. The first and wise choice is to invest in a c maintenance and furnace maintenance on a regular basis. This choice involves spending a minimum amount of money and enjoying an HVAC system that works well and lasts long.
The second choice involves waiting until your HVAC system breaks down or stops working entirely. This choice will involve expensive and extensive repairs to your equipment and maybe even the replacement of your entire system years before this would usually be necessary. Also included in this second choice is a gradual decline of your HVAC system long before it gives up the ghost entirely. This gradual decline means that for months or maybe even years you will be plagued by a system that works off and on and uses a considerably greater amount of energy that it should.
Much like any mechanical equipment, your HVAC was designed with certain optimal operational boundaries in mind. If these are ignored and the equipment is not properly maintained on a regular basis, your HVAC could be headed toward a premature death.
2. Air Conditioning Filters
The air conditioning filters in your HVAC system have a constant stream of filthy air passing through them. Their job is to remove dirt and soot from the air before it gets conditioned and recycled back into the breathing atmosphere of your home. Unfortunately, a side effect of this important job is that these filters must be regularly checked and replaced if necessary.
If regular maintenance is not performed on these filters, they will become clogged, allow less air to pass through, and cause your HVAC to function less efficiently. Additionally, they will begin to allow the indoor coils to become coated in dirt. All of this will cause the unit’s airflow to decrease below safe limits. This could cause a disastrous and premature failure of your equipment.
3. Condenser Coils
Another great reason to perform regular maintenance on your HVAC has to do with the condenser coils. The condenser coils in your unit were designed for safe operation in a very specific range of outdoor temperatures. The refrigerant vapor is optimally cooled and condensed when a certain amount of airflow takes place in the condenser at temperatures no greater than a maximum that is usually around 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Much like the air filters, these coils have a tendency to suffer from a buildup of dirt. When this happens, the finned surfaces of the condenser coils are less adept at transferring heat and the airflow through the condenser is also considerably reduced. The overall average operating temperature of your HVAC will begin to climb, and the equipment may become permanently damaged. This serious damage can be avoided by regular checking and cleaning of the condenser coils.
4. Drive Belts, Relays, and Contactors
Preventive maintenance of HVAC systems also usually includes inspection and sometimes replacement of the drive belts, electrical relays, and contactors. If the drive belts are broken or even loose, your HVAC can end up operating at dangerously high temperatures and suffer from permanent damage. If the electrical relays and contactors have been damaged due to low voltage conditions or other problems, the contact points can begin to overheat. This is almost certain to cause extensive damage to either the fan motor or the compressor motor and may even cause one or both of them to burn out completely. Much cheaper than having these crucial parts replaced, is simply having preventive maintenance performed on your HVAC on a regular basis.
5. Lubricants and Fluids
Your HVAC system includes a large number of rotating components and bearings. Each of these needs to be lubricated in order for the system to run at optimal efficiency. The bearings and other rotating parts in your HVAC can last as long as hundreds of hours if they are lubricated regularly and properly. If regular maintenance is not performed on these parts, they will eventually dry up, overheat, and seize.
The refrigerant charge in your HVAC system also needs to be checked on a regular basis. If you attempt to operate your equipment for an extended period of time with an insufficient refrigerant charge, the compressor will either ice up or burn out.
Instead of trying to remember and stay on top of all these details yourself, your problems can be solved and your HVAC life span extended to its full length by simply calling in a professional HVAC maintenance company. Scheduling regular HVAC maintenance will save you time and headache, will reduce your overall air conditioning costs, and will spare you the trauma of an unforeseen HVAC emergency.