As fall leaves burnish gold, orange, and red, let the colors of fire cue you to attend to your home’s winter heating, ventilation, and air conditioning needs. In many cases, the same HVAC contractors who perform spring maintenance can help you with furnace maintenance services. Before you switch the thermostat from cooling to heating, have your local HVAC service perform an HVAC inspection and duct cleaning.
Typically, such a maintenance visit costs only a small HVAC diagnostic fee. Although this cost varies depending on the area of the U.S. where you reside, an inspection costs between $250 and $400. Expect to pay about $180 to $360 for duct cleaning.
Following common HVAC best practices, you can help your heating system perform its best. During winter, you’ll need to change the air filter monthly, just as in summer. Consider checking the filter every two weeks, though, because during winter, when neighbors use their fireplaces, the filter can get dirty faster. When winter clears, recheck this website to address your AC cleaning checklist.
Spring and Summer HVAC Maintenance
If your home has air conditioning, it’s likely that you’re focused on efficiency, especially throughout the summer. Considering that switching to high-efficiency air conditioners can reduce energy usage by up to 50%, it makes sense that you’d be focused on that aspect.
But there are other ways to increase efficiency in your current HVAC system. To help you determine what those are, we’ve devised three HVAC maintenance checklists for you to follow this summer and all the summers to follow.
Right Now
First, you need to start thinking in the present. What can you do right now to create a more functional air conditioner? Aside from working with a reliable air conditioning company, here are three things you can do today to help your AC out:
- Invest in a high-efficiency air filter for your AC unit.
- Make sure your AC unit is free of leaves, grass, dirt, and other outdoor debris.
- Clear an area at least two feet wide around the entirety of your AC unit.
Monthly
Monthly maintenance is just as important as making adjustments to your daily HVAC maintenance routine. Some of these tasks should be performed by your HVAC company, but the majority of them simply require your attention and a little bit of extra time. Here’s what you should be checking on a monthly or semi-monthly basis.
- Have your HVAC company inspect refrigerant lines.
- Replace or clean your high-efficiency filter to ensure high air quality.
- Clean any AC vents inside of your home and keep them free of debris.
Seasonally
The most efficient HVAC systems are inspected twice annually: once in the fall and once in the spring. If you want to ensure your AC will work for many summers to come, it’s important that your HVAC company does the following:
- Inspects all parts of AC unit for spring inspection.
- Prepares furnace for fall and winter during autumn inspection.
Annually
You might not have to perform these maintenance tasks every single day, but that doesn’t make them any less important. Yearly HVAC maintenance tasks include the following:
- Make sure your AC unit is sitting on level ground.
- Replace any carbon monoxide detector batteries.
- Clear out your AC drain. This may be a task you should leave to the professionals though!
Whether you’re a new homeowner or a veteran who’s about to pay off an entire mortgage, make sure you’re keeping these HVAC duties in mind all year long for a safe, cool summer.