Annual HVAC Maintenance - What's Included?

1. Electrical Connections - These should be tightened, tested and replaced if required. Loose connections can cause equipment failure, over heating and are a fire hazard. All connections in both your furnace and outdoor A/C unit should be inspected yearly.

2. Thermostat Operation / Calibration - A test to determine if your thermostat is reading the correct temperature and cycling equipment on and off at the correct readings is crucial maintain system performance. A well calibrated Stat can save you money on bills and unexpected service calls.

3. Check all system safety devices - This is included on both the furnace and outdoor A/C unit. There are safeties for flame and exhaust issues in your furnace, refrigerant leaks or over heating on your A/C unit and electrical issues in both systems. All of the safties must be checked and their operation verified because they literally are meant to keep you and your equipment safe.

4. Blower motor operation - Without a properly working blower motor in your furnace nothing in your system will work as intended. A mechanical and electrical inspection of the fan and its motor should be done at least once annually.

5. Clean the indoor and outdoor coils - Both coils in your A/C system should be visually inspected for possible leaks and both need to be cleaned completely of dirt and dust one annually to ensure you're system runs at it's best efficiency. Dirty coils can cost you a bundle on utilities and can lead to some major repairs down the road.

6. Heat exchanger and combustion - The heat exchanger is a chamber In your furnace. The flame enters the heat exchanger and travels through it giving its heat away to the air passing over the exchanger. Eventually it leaves the exchanger as exhaust and its routed outside through the furnace exhaust venting. The heat exchanger should be inspected for restrictions and cleanliness. As well the exchanger must be check for cracks and leaks as these will cause Carbon Monoxide and other toxins to leak into the HVAC system and be sent throughout your home.

7. Refrigerant check - Your A/C system is known as a closed loop. This means the refrigerant in the system travels through the refrigerant pipes doing its various jobs along the way and then returns to the beginning to start the process again. As such, there shouldn't be a leak in your system and you should not have to "top up" your refrigerant levels regularly. However, unintended leaks do happen and they can cause serious part failures if not located and corrected quickly.

8. Air Filters - Your furnace filter should be changed far more often than once a year. We recommend a 2 month cycle on your furnace filter. This ensures your system will remain clean and you will not encounter any issues due to restricted airflow. Your heating and cooling systems require a minimum amount of airflow during each cycle. A dirty filter is the biggest offender in causing airflow issues.

9. Inspect and test all moving parts - Each moving part in your system should be tested, oiled if necessary and checked for any physical damage.

Keeping up with annual maintenance is your best line of defense for avoiding unexpected repair costs and keeping your system running optimally when you really need it. If you'd lke to book a system inspection.