When Your HVAC Tech Arrives for A/C Preventive Maintenance, Here's What to Expect
by Greg Leisgang on July 24, 2013
Posted in: Service
A/C preventive maintenance helps tackle future problems with your air conditioner head on and reduces unplanned expenses. When your HVAC contractor visits your home to perform your system’s annual checkup, he or she has many areas to address to ensure that you'll cash in on the benefits of system maintenance.
Areas typically covered during preventive maintenance
- Thermostat - Settings are checked to ensure that you're comfortable when you're home and saving energy while you're gone.
- Electrical - Connections, the current and voltage are checked to avoid unsafe operation resulting in system damage.
- Lubrication - All moving parts are lubricated, reducing both friction and energy use.
- Condensate drain - A seemingly small part of A/C preventive maintenance, plugged condensate drains can cause major water damage in your home and raise indoor humidity.
- Controls - Controls are checked for safe operation. The technician will also verify that your system starts, runs and shuts off properly.
- Coils - Dirty evaporator and condenser coils make it harder for your system to cool your home and can cause your system to run longer. Coil cleaning reduces energy costs and increases the life of your system.
- Refrigerant - Refrigerant levels are checked and adjusted as necessary. Too little or too much refrigerant can increase energy costs and shorten the life of your system.
- Blower - Blower components are cleaned and adjusted. Properly running blowers increase comfort and guard against poor airflow, which can reduce system efficiency as much as 15 percent.
Do-it-yourself
Did you know there's a simple A/C preventive maintenance task you can perform yourself that will both increase efficiency and extend the life of your system? Inspect your air filter often and change or clean it at least once every one to three months, or when it appears dirty. Dirty, clogged filters force your A/C to work harder to move air through the system.
When it's time to schedule A/C preventive maintenance for your system, contact Tri-County Heating & Cooling. For over 40 years, our team has offered professional installation, maintenance and repair service to homeowners throughout the West Chester area.
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