Your HVAC system is a vital part of your home. It provides comfort and protection from extreme outdoor temperatures, especially in the summer and winter. Unfortunately, too many people neglect regular maintenance of their heating and air conditioning systems until something goes wrong. This piece will explore the importance of seasonal HVAC maintenance and the benefits that come with it.
Improved Home Comfort
If an HVAC system isn’t maintained regularly, it can decrease its ability to warm or cool your home, especially in the months with the most extreme weather. If your refrigerant level is low, this can significantly reduce your AC’s ability to keep you cool in the summer. If your ducts or blower vents are clogged up, it will affect airflow, which can result in unwanted warm or cold spots in parts of your home.
HVAC Life Span Extension
With seasonal maintenance, a technician will be able to find minor problems before they get worse and become major issues. Because minor problems are caught and remedied early, less strain is put on components, and it greatly increases the life span of your HVAC system. Lubrication can be added to moving parts to reduce the wear and tear of friction. Electrical wiring can be checked to ensure there aren’t any issues.
Operational Safety
When HVAC maintenance is neglected, there are safety hazards that can occur. When a technician is performing maintenance on your HVAC system, they can identify and fix electrical issues that are a fire hazard. Water leaks can cause structural damage to your home, especially if they aren’t noticed for some time. If you have a split HVAC system that burns natural gas in the heating process, a technician can check for natural gas or carbon monoxide leaks.
Lower Energy Bills
One of the best reasons that it’s good to invest in seasonal maintenance of your HVAC system is that it can actually save you money. When your HVAC gets regular cleaning and maintenance, your system runs much more efficiently. This can dramatically lower your energy bills when compared to an HVAC system where homeowners have neglected the required maintenance. During a particularly hot summer or cold winter when your HVAC system is working harder, the savings due to improved efficiency can be even more noticeable.
Air Quality Improvement
You should be regularly replacing or cleaning your air filters. However, when a technician comes for seasonal maintenance, they can do that for you and a lot more. Over time, your system begins to accumulate contaminants like:
- Pollen
- Dust
- Mold spores
When blown into the home, these pollutants can be irritating to breathe, especially to people who regularly have respiratory issues like asthma or seasonal allergies. Professional cleaning can remove all these contaminants from your ductwork, vents, blowers, and other areas of your HVAC system if it is a serious issue.
Noise Reduction
An HVAC system can get noisy when it isn’t maintained properly. This can be for several reasons. The system may have to work harder to make up for the lack of efficiency. It can also be due to damaged components or debris making its way into the system. Depending on how noisy your HVAC gets when it isn’t maintained regularly, it can prevent your home from feeling like a peaceful environment. Additionally, occupants in bedrooms near a clunky outdoor unit may have trouble sleeping. When a technician performs seasonal maintenance, they can tighten components that have come loose or properly lubricate moving parts to fix the noise issue.
Humidity Level Management
Excess moisture in the air during the summer months can make the temperature feel hotter than it actually is. The humidity can also cause your skin to get uncomfortably clammy. To make up for the humidity, most homeowners turn their cool air up even higher, increasing their energy bill and putting stress on the HVAC system. Seasonal maintenance can result in reduced humidity in your home. Technicians can ensure your HVAC system is working optimally to remove excess moisture from the interior of your home.
Costly Repair Prevention
Getting seasonal maintenance keeps your system running smoothly and reduces the amount of stress that is put on components. By reducing this system stress, you are ensuring repairs aren’t needed as frequently. Additionally, if an issue is found on a system that gets seasonal maintenance, it is more likely to be minor, reducing the cost to fix it.
Protect Property Value
Whether you are looking to put your house up for sale on the market or you want to refinance the mortgage on your home, protecting the value of your home is essential. Since your HVAC system is such a vital part of your home, taking care of it with regular maintenance helps preserve your home’s property value. If potential buyers see that the HVAC is poorly maintained, they may decide that they need to replace it, and that expected cost will be reflected in a lower offer. Some potential buyers might choose to purchase another house altogether simply because they don’t want to deal with the issue.
Good for the Environment
Due to the better energy efficiency that comes with a well-maintained HVAC system, you’re also lowering your home’s carbon footprint and helping the environment. Additionally, many old HVAC units use Freon as a refrigerant. Freon is slowly being phased out and replaced by other refrigerants because it is harmful. If your HVAC system starts to leak Freon due to neglected maintenance, this harmful gas is directly polluting your local environment.
Comply With Warranty Conditions
If your HVAC system is still under warranty, there are likely terms and conditions that state the required maintenance of your system for the warranty to remain valid. If you ignore regular maintenance, your warranty claim may be denied. The same can be said about your homeowner’s insurance. If something happens to your HVAC system that causes damage to your home, an insurance company can decide that they won’t cover the damages because it was due to negligence of your HVAC system maintenance.
Peace of Mind
Lastly, taking care of regular HVAC maintenance gives you peace of mind. You don’t have to worry about the stress that comes with your unit breaking down or the anxiety that you may feel from higher energy bills.
Clearly, scheduling seasonal HVAC maintenance is essential for a variety of reasons. Efficiency, safety, comfort, and more are all affected by the state of your HVAC system. Schedule your next seasonal maintenance soon so you can enjoy all of the benefits that come with it.
Do you need seasonal HVAC maintenance? If you live in Hanover, Columbia, Ellicott City, or any other town in the area, Beltway Air Conditioning, Heating, & Plumbing can help. We offer maintenance, repair, and installation services for heating and cooling systems. We also offer various plumbing services. If you’d like more information about any of our services or you want to schedule seasonal maintenance for your HVAC system, contact Beltway Air Conditioning, Heating, & Plumbing today.
