It’s fall in the Nashville area, and that means it’s time to get your HVAC unit tuned up. This helpful post explains why you should get your HVAC system looked at this fall.
If you’re like most Nashville residents, you’ll need the expertise of a technician to help you get your heating and cooling unit properly maintained. Professional maintenance means peace of mind—but just what are they doing out there?
Why You Need Regular Maintenance
Even though you probably know that maintenance of an appliance as expensive as an HVAC unit is good, you probably try to push it out of your mind. Yet that is precisely the reason you should get routine tune-ups; if you don’t want to think about your air conditioning unit, tune-ups will prevent breakdowns. Makes sense right?
It’s also important to realize that a lot of the time, breakdowns occur for small reasons. For example, this post references a study conducted by the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service that found that 9 out of 10 HVAC failures occur because of dirt and dust. If 90% of A/C problems are caused by something you clean out of your house every week, there’s no reason you should be procrastinating on HVAC maintenance! And if you’re hesitating because of cost, don’t. Regular maintenance ensures a longer-lasting unit, plus it keeps the unit more efficient so that it actually uses less energy than if you hadn’t had it checked. That may seem counter-intuitive, but in the long run, paying for professional maintenance really does save more money.
Professional Services Performed
Now that you know why you should be pursuing a repair man to come look at your unit, let’s look at what he’s going to do. For a routine furnace (or heating) tune-up, he’ll look at and perform the following:
- Check furnace or boiler for the presence of carbon monoxide
- Make sure the combustion chamber or heat exchanger is in proper condition
- If it’s a natural gas powered unit, he’ll check to make sure the pilot is working properly, clean, and ignited; that the burner is clean; and that the gas and air exchange is correct
- Check oil levels and belts to make sure levels are correct and belts are tight
Remove dust and scale from the unit- Check filters
- Check to make sure all safety controls are operating correctly
- Make sure evaporator coils are clean
- Make sure condensate drain is clear
- Clean the condenser
- Inspect and tighten all electric connections
- Check compressor amps
- Calibrate the thermostat for more efficient heating
There’s a lot that goes into checking a heating and cooling unit. And it’s really not expensive—at the bottom of this Angie’s List post, you’ll see that costs range from $70-$100 per year. Do your household a favor and get your HVAC unit checked before winter weather spikes your energy bill.
Do you have your HVAC looked at every year?
Keeping up with HVAC maintenance isn’t really a choice—if you want to save money and keep your home safe, you need to have it done at least once a year. And since in the long run such maintenance will save you money, why not schedule a tune-up today?
Do you get your HVAC unit looked at regularly? Or have you ever had maintenance done and then been surprised at how much lower your energy bill was? We want to hear your story! Leave us a comment in the box below, and we’ll answer it right away.
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