If you’ve been reading blog posts on our site for even just a few months, then you’ve likely seen us mention the importance of maintenance before. We really can’t stress how important it is that you schedule this service for both your air conditioner and your heater each and every year to ensure your HVAC systems work at peak efficiency and for as long as possible.
And it’s easy to get started with a maintenance plan, you can just give us a call! Our maintenance session includes thoroughly cleaning your system, making recommendations for repairs and perhaps one of the most important HVAC services in Northbrook, IL–inspecting the system. But, what is involved in this inspection? What do technicians actually do during maintenance, particularly when they’re checking over the system—what do they look for?
What Technicians Check
Inspections are a necessary part of maintaining any complex mechanical equipment, and they require skilled and experienced technicians with the right training and tools to do the job. Air conditioners, for instance, have potentially harmful refrigerant in them, while a furnace or other gas-powered heater presents its own hazards just by the nature of their fuel type.
So, what do technicians look for? It’s an extensive checklist, and we’ve delved into just a portion of it below:
- Corroded or Loose Electrical Connections: Even some gas-powered systems have some electrical components, such as an electric starter. And one of the most common malfunctions in an HVAC system is electrical. Moisture and chemicals in the air can cause electrical wiring and connections to corrode, which eventually will cause multiple systems to fail, and the HVAC system to shut down. Technicians look closely at this, as well as any wiring that’s become loose.
- Motors in Need of Lubrication: Without proper lubrication, moving components and motors within your air conditioner or heater will create friction, and that friction will cause them to wear down. This is natural wear and tear, but if the lubrication is not replaced during maintenance, then the whole system will wear down a lot faster than it was meant to and you could find yourself with expensive repairs and even premature replacement.
- Refrigerant Pressure and Levels: There is a common misconception that refrigerant is something that’s supposed to run out, as gasoline does from a car. On the contrary, however. Upon installation, your HVAC system is supplied with enough refrigerant to ideally last its entire lifespan. If it is losing refrigerant, this means you have a leak. So if our technicians don’t check refrigerant levels and pressure, then a leak can go unchecked, creating a number of problems for both your HVAC system functionality and your comfort.
These are just a few specific things our technicians look for during maintenance. Depending on the type of system you have, there may be other things to watch for. Let’s say you have a heat pump, for example. This is a two-in-one heating and cooling system that relies on a valve to switch directions of the refrigerant. If the reversing valve is stuck, you won’t be able to use your heat pump—so this is definitely part of the checklist of what we look at for these systems!
For quality HVAC services, contact Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning today!