Key Points
- Scheduling annual HVAC maintenance keeps your hardware and ductwork in good condition and prevents potential issues before they cause major damage.
- Annual maintenance can save you money in the long run by ensuring your system can operate at peak efficiency.
- Have hardware examined before peak season. A furnace should be checked in the fall, while an AC needs its inspection during the spring.
- Regular maintenance should be performed on the air filter, ductwork, and vents, and the indoor and outdoor HVAC units.
Let’s be honest: most of us probably think of calling in a maintenance technician for our HVAC system, similar to how we view getting our phone fixed when the screen’s cracked: a reactionary decision. We think the only time to call a trained professional is when we run into an issue, expecting them to immediately diagnose and fix the issue. The truth of the matter, though, is that your HVAC system is likely struggling well before you notice any performance dips. Parts like fans and motors lose their strength slowly. A cooling cycle in summer taking a few extra minutes won’t throw a red flag for most people, but some of the internal hardware may already be on its last legs by the time the performance problems are noticeable.
Preventive maintenance saves energy and money by catching problems early, minimizing the disruption to your day-to-day life. We have in-depth breakdowns on HVAC maintenance to perform in autumn and a guide to HVAC spring cleaning tasks, but let’s take a single step back from seasonally dependent situations to explain why yearly maintenance is a necessity for your heating and cooling system.
Annual HVAC Maintenance Is Important!
Imagine if you didn’t clean your home for a full month. Dust would pile up on surfaces, shades, and appliances, debris would litter the ground, and the smell of old food and garbage would taint the air. (Gross) Without annual HVAC maintenance, you’re leaving a system that spreads throughout your home to fend for itself for years at a time. The amount of dirt, dust, and corrosion that can build up in twelve months is staggering, especially in hardware that’s actively sucking in the air and contaminants from your living space.
If you’re curious what kinds of tasks need to be tackled during yearly maintenance on any part of your heating and cooling system, let’s break it down into an easy-to-follow checklist.
Annual HVAC Maintenance Checklist
The sheer volume of tasks associated with HVAC servicing can leave even the best of us more than a bit overwhelmed. For those who have the bandwidth and curiosity, check out the full list of tasks to be handled by you and a licensed professional in our central HVAC maintenance essentials post. For the rest of us who could use more of a toe-dip into the pool, let’s go over the bare necessities that shouldn’t be skipped.
Clean or Replace Your Air Filter
The air filter in your HVAC system does crucial work for not just cleansing the air you breathe in, but keeping those contaminants from accumulating within the heating and cooling hardware in your home. You should be cleaning or changing your air filters at least as often as specified by the manufacturer, one to three months being the most common window for this across the industry. Replacement air filters are the most important part to keep up with in your HVAC system because they have the highest impact with the least effort for sustained, efficient performance. There are a couple of key details that will require your attention when choosing the right replacement filter, so be sure to keep the following in mind:
- Check that the dimensions of a new filter match the needs of your system
- Verify that the MERV rating eliminates the allergens that affect you
- Review any manufacturer’s specifications on filter strength; some older systems don’t have the strength to pull air through thick, pleated filters
Inspect Your Ductwork
Effective air duct maintenance is the piece of HVAC upkeep that many people tend to overlook, but it should be met head-on. Dust and debris can cake onto the walls and accrue in the seams of the ductwork of your central system, causing allergens to spread throughout the home and efficiency to plummet as airflow is constricted. A quick dust or vacuum cleaning makes a world of difference in optimizing your system’s performance.
Beyond checking for dirt and grime buildup, looking through the ducts helps you identify any issues that have formed over the last few months. Cracks, holes, and signs of damage are all issues to be fixed by a professional once identified. These gaps in your ductwork lead to a loss of heat, forcing your system to work harder. Improperly sealed ducts and poor insulation strain your HVAC hardware, costing you more money for worse results. By inspecting the ductwork at least once annually, you’ll mitigate these issues early and enjoy better results over time.
Inspect Your AC or Furnace
As a general rule of thumb, you should always have any HVAC hardware inspected before any season where it will be used heavily. For furnaces, that means calling in a professional during the fall before the heavy heating demands of winter. For your air conditioner, the TLC should come in the springtime, well before the summer heat is in full swing. Similar to reviewing the inside of the ducts, your AC condenser and furnace will need a thorough inspection before they’re turned on for the season. Remove any dirt and debris from inside and the surrounding area, ensuring that airflow isn’t restricted. If you want specifics on different types of hardware and their unique inspection requirements, check out:
Improve IAQ with Regular Maintenance
Even with all the proper maintenance, sometimes your IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) needs will still need a little extra support. Options like the powerful air purifiers and replacement filters from Austin Air make a world of difference by removing harsh chemicals and other irritants from the air in your home, on top of the results provided by your main HVAC system. This extra layer of filtration ensures a safe and reliable environment for anyone with autoimmune issues or severe allergies.
If you want a better way to keep tabs on the IAQ, options like the new AWAIR Indoor Air Quality Monitor are the perfect solution. Giving you key information about the quality of the air within your home at a glance, the AWAIR air monitor is backed by testimonials from our team that highlight the positive impact the hardware has had on their day-to-day.
Maintain Your HVAC System with IWAE
Enjoying reliable climate control results over the years is a process, not a single choice. The start of the cycle is the same as the end of the previous: choosing the right HVAC system for your home. But what about the in-between? The dominant middle of this process is the years you’ll spend with the heating and cooling results of your chosen system, but maintaining that level of performance over time requires proper upkeep. The longer you leave your system to its own devices, the more issues can evolve in the background. By keeping up with annual maintenance, you’ll catch any potential problems early to nip them in the bud before they can cause additional damage to other hardware in the system. If you’re not sure where to find the right HVAC professional, reach out to IWAE. Our customer service professionals can direct you to the right HVAC replacement parts for your system, and even hook you up with contractor assistance to handle the hard parts. Having a system you know you can trust due to proper maintenance makes relaxing in every season easier than ever.
