Among the very best ways to care for the heating and cooling equipment in your Zebulon, NC, home is by scheduling routine maintenance. During these visits, our HVAC technicians clean, calibrate, and optimize heaters, heat pumps, and air conditioners. This is an opportunity to reverse the wear and tear that these units have sustained in prior seasons, catch and correct minor problems early on, and ensure reliable and efficient performance. To extend the lifespan of your HVAC system, it’s important to have all of its components serviced at least once each year.
Read on to learn all about the recommended and required maintenance for each HVAC equipment type.
Annual Maintenance for Heaters and Air Conditioners
The manufacturers of HVAC equipment typically recommend servicing furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners at least once annually. The best time to schedule these appointments is just before high-demand seasons. For instance, you should have your air conditioner tuned up in late spring or early summer and your furnace tuned up just before winter arrives. Pre-season tune-ups minimize the risk of mid-season breakdowns. They can also significantly lower your heating and cooling costs by limiting system stress, improving airflow, and optimizing other areas of performance.
Heat Pumps Require Twice Annual Maintenance for Year-Round Use
With winter temperatures that rarely dip below freezing, Zebulon has the perfect climate for year-round heat pump use. If you have a heat pump that you use for both heating and cooling, you should have this equipment serviced twice annually. Just like heaters and air conditioners, heat pumps require tune-ups ahead of high-demand seasons. Have your heat pump serviced before summer arrives and again in mid- to late-autumn.
Maintenance twice per year provides the opportunity to toggle heat pumps from heating mode to cooling mode and back again. During your heat pump’s tune-up, we can show you where its reversing valve is and how to use it. We can also adjust all related heat pump and thermostat settings for you.
HVAC Equipment Manufacturers Recommend and Require Annual Maintenance
While most HVAC equipment manufacturers recommend scheduling tune-up services annually, many of these same entities may require it. If your heater, air conditioner, or heat pump is still under its manufacturer’s warranty, take the time to read through the terms of this agreement. Unbeknownst to many consumers, manufacturer warranties are mutually binding contracts.
Just as equipment manufacturers agree to pay for damages resulting from poor assembly, defective parts, and substandard design, homeowners agree to take reasonable steps to prevent problems and malfunctioning. Among these are regularly changing air filters, maintaining high-functioning HVAC air ducts, and having licensed HVAC companies perform all repairs and provide comprehensive, model-specific tune-up services each year. Skipped and delayed maintenance can result in automatic claim denials, longer claim processing times, and the voidance of these guarantees.
It’s also important to note that some HVAC equipment comes with surprisingly lengthy warranties. For instance, if you have a natural gas furnace in your home, this unit could have a 10-year limited parts warranty and a 20-year warranty on its heat exchangers. Even if your HVAC equipment is fairly old, scheduling an annual service could be essential for protecting its coverage.
HVAC Ductwork Maintenance
Your HVAC air ducts need maintenance too. During routine AC, heat pump, and furnace maintenance, we check these features for signs of pest infestation, rips, tears, and crushed sections. Exposed ducting in high-traffic areas like attached garages is especially vulnerable to damage. By identifying and resolving loose connections, holes, and other structural problems, we prevent energy waste, protect indoor air quality (IAQ), and keep HVAC systems from overworking.
At the very least, you should have your HVAC air ducts inspected and maintained every 12 months. According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), you should also have your ducts professionally cleaned every two to three years.
Integrated HVAC Accessories
Integrated HVAC accessories are secondary pieces of equipment installed in or attached to HVAC air ducts. They include:
- Whole-house humidifiers/dehumidifiers
- Air scrubbers
- Media filters
- Whole-house air purifiers
Each equipment type has its own recommended maintenance schedule. Some integrated HVAC accessories require service every three to six months, and others need service just once each year. You can check your owner’s manuals and equipment manufacturer warranties for service recommendations and requirements. When performing your annual heater or AC maintenance, we can give these units the care they require as well.
Adjusting Your HVAC Maintenance Schedule as Your Equipment Ages
A once-annual maintenance service is perfect for most heaters and air conditioners. However, as your HVAC equipment ages, you might find that it has greater maintenance needs. For example, if your current furnace is 15 to 20 years old, you may want to have it serviced at the beginning of winter and again at winter’s end. This second furnace service can occur at the same time as your annual AC maintenance for increased convenience and less spending.
For aging appliances, post-season maintenance gives us the chance to determine if furnaces are ready for immediate replacement or if they can make it through another year. It’s also a chance to remove built-up dust and debris, replace worn parts, and take other actions to prepare aging heaters for seasonal dormancy.
How to Save Money on Professional HVAC Maintenance Services
Professional HVAC maintenance doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you currently have a home service agreement, performance tune-ups for your AC, furnace, or heat pump could be one of its included benefits. Some home insurance plans offer similar benefits. However, the best way to cut your annual HVAC maintenance costs is by investing in a preventative maintenance plan.
Our preventative maintenance plans are entirely transferable. If you choose to sell your home while your maintenance plan is active, we’ll honor all of the included terms for the new owner. In addition to providing covered maintenance service, our plans also offer deep discounts on repairs, priority appointment scheduling, and other perks.
What to Expect During Annual HVAC Maintenance
We use comprehensive, model-specific checklists to provide annual HVAC equipment maintenance. We thoroughly inspect and clean heaters and AC units, both inside and out. We remove buildups of dirt, dander, hair, and carpet fibers, and we replace HVAC air filters. If you have HVAC accessories in or attached to your ducting, we’ll inspect and clean these units and change their filters as well.
We perform multiple performance and safety tests, check all failsafe measures, and carefully inspect furnace venting systems. We also calibrate thermostats, lubricate moving parts, and replace damaged or missing components.
The Benefits of an Annual Tune-Up Service
Scheduling preventive maintenance extends the lifespan of heaters, air conditioners, and heat pumps. These services stave off the need for major repairs, increase the overall efficiency of HVAC systems, and protect indoor air quality. They also keep homeowners compliant with all manufacturer warranties, home insurance plans, and home warranties that offer HVAC coverage.
We offer top-notch heating, cooling, and indoor air quality services in Zebulon. We also provide new ductwork, duct sealing and insulation, and preventative maintenance plans. To sign up for our Comfort Club or to request an appointment, contact Landen Heating and Cooling today.
