The Importance of AC Maintenance
Why Should You Pay Attention to AC Maintenance?
Have you ever noticed there is a pleasant, hopeful anticipation of the next season? We are in that comfortable fall season, having escaped the heat of summer and looking forward to the holiday season. In a couple of months, we will be ready for the warmer weather of Spring because we are so over short days and cold nights. As we move through the seasons, we also roll from the cooling to the heating seasons. Hopefully, this reminded you to change your air filter and to schedule preventative AC maintenance on your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
But wait. Is that really necessary?
AC Maintenance for Reliability
Having an unexpected breakdown during a threatening winter blast is always inconvenient, can be quite costly, and could be dangerous. Remember a cold snap will stress every HVAC system in the region. Many unmaintained systems will need to be fixed all at once, putting you on a potentially long waiting list for repairs to be made.
Failures are most often caused by a weakened component that has been put under sudden stress, like a sudden temperature change. These weakened parts give warning indications when tested. This allows the correction of a small problem before it becomes a large, uncomfortable failure.
AC Maintenance for Efficiency
So much is demanded of an HVAC system:
- Heating during the winter
- Providing clean, fresh air all year round
- Cooling the home during the long summer
Wear happens with every cycle and wear reduces the effectiveness of the electrical sensors, switches, and control mechanisms. There are two major motors in the system. The system continues to run, even with the wear and tear that happens; however, the wear causes the system to work harder to produce the same results. When electronics must work harder, it takes more energy to accomplish the same tasks. The energy reduction is slow, but by replacement time a new system may take half of the energy of an existing system. Maintenance serves to restore some of the efficiency of an aging system. Efficiency costs less, both financially and environmentally, since it reduces the amount of energy that must be produced.
AC Maintenance for Health
A major function of an HVAC system is cleaning the air, removing excess humidity, and transporting the fresh air to every room in the home. The system cleans the air with:
- An air filter that removes most airborne contaminants with each cycle, removing dust, pollen, mold spores, and some bacteria/viruses. Changing the air filter removes these particles from the home permanently. It also allows adequate air movement to continue the effective cleaning of the indoor air.
- Some systems also use ultraviolet light to dispatch organic particles that tend to cause allergies and illnesses. This includes dust mites, bacteria, pollen, viruses, and mold.
A maintenance visit will include changing the air filter and ensuring UV lights function properly. It will also inform homeowners when the ductwork needs to be cleaned of the particles that may be lodged in the duct network.
AC Maintenance for Longevity
HVAC systems have an average useful life of 15 to 20 years, but regular maintenance has been shown to add useful life to aging systems. How much longer? On average, maintenance adds approximately 5 years to the useful years of a quality HVAC system.
AC Maintenance is Crucial To Your Home’s HVAC System
When you need quality AC maintenance, come to the name the Texas Gulf Coast trusts, Doctor Cool & Professor Heat. As an award-winning, BBB-accredited AC maintenance and installation contractor serving the League City and surrounding area, we pride ourselves in providing exceptional service to our customers. Call Doctor Cool & Professor Heat today at 281-338-8751 or email Doctor Cool.
