HVAC preventive maintenance and regular repairs are effective ways to keep your home comfortable as well as energy-efficient. When well-maintained, HVAC systems can last up to 25 years, but without proper care, they can run into costly problems. Luckily, there are some easy and affordable routine practices that can prolong your HVAC’s lifespan and keep it running smoothly. From proper HVAC installation and regular maintenance to investing in quality parts and filters, keeping your system in tip-top shape can help them last for years.
Schedule At Least Two Annual Tune-ups
Many homeowners wait until their HVAC system needs repairs or they have a breakdown to get their system checked. Two tune-ups a year can keep your heating and cooling unit at its best. Tune-ups fix worn-out air filters, low refrigerant, and dusty evaporator coils, which help you avoid costly repairs, save energy and prevent system problems early on.
These fixes keep the system under check while ensuring it operates optimally. Getting your system checked and tuned up in a row can enhance overall health and prolong useful life. Try scheduling professional tune-ups in the fall and spring for better results.
Take Care of Your Ductwork
Taking care of your ductwork is an affordable way to make the HVAC system more durable. Ducts that are dirty, dusty, or inefficient can increase the energy needed to create comfort inside the home. Dirty ducts also pose a health risk to occupants as they can accumulate bacteria and other allergens. All these happen because damaged or clogged ductwork causes air to flow inefficiently. This can lead to ill-timed failure, forcing you to spend more on HVAC replacement.
Ductwork can be easily damaged by normal wear and tear or misuse. If you hire a duct cleaning service, they clean and restore the entire system, from venting to installing new insulation on all duct joints. This will also involve replacing any metal flashing with new flashing if necessary and sealing any open seams with mastic sealant.
Regularly Change the Air Filters
Filters are central components of the home heating and cooling unit that keep the air in your home fresh and reduce drafts, negatively impacting the indoor atmosphere’s quality. A clean and fully-functional air filter will improve the performance of your HVAC system and make it last longer by eliminating unnecessary wear and tear on costly parts.
Regularly cleaning the filters prevents your system from being overwhelmed by building up foreign materials. Furthermore, getting new filter units resolves underlying and potential problems that can shorten the system’s useful life, such as drainage system clogs and inefficient system operation. The optimum frequency for changing an HVAC filter depends on local conditions such as indoor humidity levels or the number of occupants.
Regularly Upgrade Your Home Insulation
Insulation is one of the crucial components of your HVAC interior and exterior design necessary for preventing temperature fluctuations, air leaks, and power loss. Both insulations used in the walls and under the floor need minimal maintenance work, but if not given proper care and upgrades are not made on time, it could cause carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.
The effectiveness of your HVAC reflects the quality of your home insulation. If you haven’t checked or upgraded your insulation system, now is the best time. A good start would be removing the old insulation from walls or ceilings and replacing it with a new, more efficient option.
Invest in Quality Replacement Parts
To maintain a healthy indoor habitat and prolong your HVAC system’s life, you should ensure the system operates at peak performance. A habit that could affect the system’s performance and make it prone to premature failure is settling for substandard replacement parts. If you have the habit of buying low-quality spare parts, you’re slowly preparing your unit for untimely breakdown.
Should your compressor break down, the thermostat burn out, or the air filters get clogged, the replacement parts you use to replace them are as vital as the original. Standard equipment manufacturers have stringent quality controls to ensure that replacement parts will work safely and efficiently. For every furnace replacement or repair project, get your materials from industry-leading manufacturers with a good track record.
Install A Smart Thermostat
A thermostat is an important HVAC attachment that monitors the surrounding temperature and automatically programs itself to make your home more comfortable. Its humidity sensor gauges moisture and room occupancy and signals the system to make necessary temperature adjustments. The life expectancy of your HVAC decreases when it has to work harder and longer. Unfortunately, most people forget to make adjustments to their thermostats when leaving for work, causing the unit to overwork and your utility bills to skyrocket. The solution is investing in a smart thermostat.
This device will automatically program your system to heat or cool your home a few hours before you come from work and work less when away, saving you money on heating and decreasing the wearing process. Moreover, you can manually make adjustments via an app on your smartphone or tablet, for example, if you’re away for a while on a business trip or vacation and forgot to adjust your thermostat settings. Some smart thermostats will also notify you when it’s time to schedule maintenance or change filters which to play a key role in lengthening your system’s lifespan.
For over 40 years, we’ve been providing quality and affordable services to residents and businesses in and around Colorado Springs. Our certified technicians are available 24 hours to attend to any emergency repairs that can’t wait. Our services are not only reliable but also pocket friendly. Reach out to us to get a free estimate and the job done by credible and qualified technicians.