The changing of the seasons brings about a change in how your heating and cooling system will be used. Winter and summer tend to bring about more frequent use, and are typically the seasons during which the greatest number of system failures occur. Unfortunately, these seasons are the times in which you least want to be without heat or air conditioning. Preventative maintenance may help reduce the risk of having to do without.
When deciding whether or not to opt for seasonal heating and cooling maintenance, consider the following:
- Cost of maintenance versus repair or replacement
- Increasing the lifespan of the unit
- Energy costs in relation to functionality
The cost of maintenance will of course vary depending on the heating and cooling company you select. However, the cost of this service should always be significantly lower than the cost of repair, and certainly much lower than the cost to completely replace the system. Many companies offer special pricing on seasonal maintenance. This is often done in order to gain new customers. These special deals may include a full line of common maintenance tasks such as inspection and cleaning.
As with nearly any item that has working parts, lifespan can be increased by catching serious problems before they occur. Should you wait until the system fails, the damage will already be done. Even worse, there may be no recovering from serious damage, and the entire unit may need to be replaced. There is no set lifespan for a heating and air unit. This will be determined by several factors, one of which will indeed by how well the system was maintained.
Energy costs may be much higher when using a unit that is not in excellent condition. The system may need to work much harder in order to maintain a comfortable temperature within the home. The longer it runs, the higher the energy usage will be. Even older systems can be rendered more efficient if they are kept in good working order. Alternately, even newer systems can fail to live up to their energy efficiency rating should minor problems exist.
Though nothing will take the place of a tune-up performed by professionals, there are several tasks that you can complete on your own. These would include changing the filters, cleaning registers, and cleaning the coils on the unit. Do be sure that power to the unit is completely off prior to performing these tasks. These few DIY tasks can make a difference, and should help keep the system in good shape between service calls.
The argument for seasonal heating and cooling maintenance is a strong one. Should you decide that you'd rather not incur this expense, consider educating yourself on how to perform maintenance tasks on your own. A unit that is completely ignored will at some point break down, with the problem possibly being so severe that the unit needs to be replaced.
