The HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) system in your home has a big responsibility and runs all year long in many parts of the country. When the temperature outside falls, the unit heats the house, but when summer rolls around, it needs to cool the home as well. Keeping the unit serviced is essential and can prevent problems that could mean costly repairs.

General Inspections and Service

Your HVAC system typically runs all year, with maybe a slight break in the spring and fall as the weather changes. This change in the weather is the perfect time to have an HVAC company come and service the system for you and do an inspection on it. Some HVAC companies will recommend two inspections a year, while others may suggest one, so you will need to decide what works best for your situation.

When the tech arrives at your home, they will inspect the air handler outside your home to ensure it is working and that no plants or animals are living inside the unit. The cover will need removing, and the HVAC tech will check the belts on the fan, the fan motor, all the wiring, and all the plumbing to make sure it is in good condition. If there is a problem inside the unit, the tech can make repairs to help avoid a breakdown later.

Changing a belt or replacing a controller or switch that is damaged is easy to do, and if the tech finds and replaces it now, it could mean heading off a breakdown when you need the HVAC unit operating. If you are going into winter, the last thing you need is to lose the heat in the home while you wait for HVAC repairs.

Interior Inspections

The part of the HVAC system inside the house also has some parts that should be checked when the tech is there. The fan motor and belts inside the unit are critical, and the filters, controller for the fan, and electrical connections all need to be looked at. The tech should change the air intake filter during this service to ensure that air can get into the system.

If the fan cannot get the volume of air required for the HVAC system to run correctly, the system will shut down. The filter on the intake is simple to change and is often the cause of a system shutting down, so replacing it is an inexpensive way to protect against a system shutdown. 

Cleaning all the dust out from around the HVAC unit with a vacuum is essential and will help extend the unit's life. HVAC companies often do this during a service call, but you can use the hose on your vacuum to clean inside the space that holds your HVAC unit and change the filters monthly to help make service calls easier and keep the system running more efficiently.