Seasonal HVAC Maintenance Tips

Your home heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is an invaluable system. From keeping your home warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and well ventilated and supplied with fresh air, this system should be thoroughly maintained. There are maintenance steps to undertake monthly, seasonally, or once a year. Depending on the nature of your HVAC system, there are things that you may need to perform every month.

 

Regular maintenance of this system is not difficult and can prevent problems from developing throughout the year. Monthly or seasonal maintenance entails doing things like replacing air filters and inspecting refrigerant lines leading into the house. Following a basic maintenance plan for home HVAC systems can help prolong the life of every appliance and component and ensure that the system performs well when you need it.

 

Seasonal Maintenance

 

 

Seasonal maintenance on the system typically only needs to be performed during the fall and spring. Since these are transitional seasons where use of either the furnace or air conditioner spike, inspecting, repairing, and replacing components of the heating and cooling system is important to comfort and efficiency.

 

 

• Replace Air Filters – This should be done at least every three to four months, but in some circumstances, these filters should be replaced monthly. Simply extract the filter from the A/C or furnace and inspect it to determine if it needs replacing. If it is dark and clogged, replace it. When replacing the filters, consider buying a higher quality filter that attracts even the tiniest micro particles.

 

 

• Inspect the A/C Unit – During the spring and fall you should thoroughly inspect the outdoor A/C unit and clear debris like dirt, grass, branches, and leaves from the unit. You may need to do this more regularly throughout these seasons as leaves fall on the unit and grass clippings discharge onto it.

 

 

• Check External Refrigerant Lines – The insulation on the lines leading from the outdoor A/C unit to the house need to be inspected seasonally. Protecting these lines is important and you should replace the insulation if it is missing or damaged.

 

• Inspect Burner and Heat Exchanger – Ensuring that furnace connections and components are in good working order is important to safety and proper functioning. If you are unsure about how to check these items, call an HVAC professional to perform the inspection.