5 Essential HVAC Maintenance Procedures: A Guide for Homeowners

If you want to keep your air conditioning system running as efficiently as possible, it's essential to change your filters regularly. This is especially true if you've invested in a newer heating or cooling unit. Even if your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is near the end of its average lifespan of 10 to 15 years, regular servicing is still necessary. As a rule of thumb, you should change your filters every 30 to 90 days.

This may seem expensive, but it will save you money in the long run by reducing energy bills. In summer, there's no need to keep a humidifier running. When the weather starts to cool in late summer or early fall, install a new filter and set the humidifier to a humidity of around 40 percent. Then turn on the water supply. HVAC systems provide heating and cooling to residential and commercial buildings.

Increasingly popular in new construction, these systems use fresh outdoor air to provide high indoor air quality. Ventilation is the process of replacing or exchanging air within a space, which improves air quality and eliminates moisture, smoke, odors, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, carbon dioxide, and other gases. To ensure that your HVAC system works efficiently and safely, it's important to have a proper maintenance plan in place. This reduces the risk of sudden system problems that could require an emergency service call. You should hire a competent, reliable company to clean and maintain your HVAC system.

After installation or maintenance routines, an HVAC inspection should be performed to ensure that the system is working properly. In addition to changing filters regularly, electrical connections must be maintained for safety and to prevent system failure. Faulty fan blades should be replaced by an HVAC technician during preventive maintenance checks. These checks should be done every two months when the blades are in motion and when they are stationary for signs of damage or wear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests that workers who work with or near electrical power should participate in “additional electrical safety training” for appropriate rescue procedures. Annual maintenance tasks such as visual inspection of the entire system should also be carried out.

Preventive winter maintenance can include many similar checks or be completely different depending on whether you use the same system to heat and cool your home or if you have an oven. Finally, another type of service contract will cover labor costs for maintenance and repair service calls plus the cost of parts. Keeping everything in working condition through routine maintenance is critical to staying safe on the job.