Understanding the importance of HVAC system maintenance for efficient heating and cooling is crucial to ensuring that your household experiences little to no trouble during extreme weather months when you need your heating/air conditioning unit more than ever. Learning how to avoid costly mistakes can lead to decreased energy bills and an increased system lifespan. Familiarizing yourself with the different aspects of your HVAC system as well as recognizing the important role of regular HVAC maintenance is the key to avoiding consistent troubles with your heating and cooling system. You can also improve indoor air quality and your entire air conditioner/heating system’s efficiency.
In this blog, we will cover the important things you need to know to keep your heating and cooling equipment in good working condition, including all of the components to familiarize yourself with and the common mistakes you should avoid, with the assistance of regular HVAC maintenance tips that can help you avoid frequent issues.
The main components that make up a central HVAC system include the furnace, heat exchanger, evaporator coil, blower motor, condensing unit, refrigerant tubes, thermostat, ductwork, air filters, and vents.
This is the heating unit, which will run off either gas or electricity. It generates the warmth that is used to heat your home.
This piece resides inside the furnace and is responsible for converting the cold air into heated air before it passes through your duct system. They also make sure that the combustion gases are not going into your home.
The outdoor unit is the AC portion of the HVAC system, also known as the condensing unit. This unit uses chemical refrigerant to absorb heat and release it outside.
The evaporator coil is part of the air conditioning unit, responsible for absorbing the heat from the air passing through the system so that only cool air flows into your home.
These tubes hold the refrigerant and connect the evaporator coil to the condensing unit.
This is the motor that powers a fan that pushes the cool or warm air through the ductwork to distribute it into the rooms of your home.
The thermostat controls your HVAC system, allowing you to set a desired temperature for your house that it will then communicate to your HVAC unit to regulate the heating or cooling. There are manual thermostats, programmable thermostats, and smart thermostats to control your home’s temperature.
Your ductwork is what distributes the air from the HVAC unit throughout your house. There are supply ducts that deliver the air and return ducts that recirculate the air.
Air vents are where the heated or cooled air enters the rooms in your house from the duct system.
HVAC air filters are used to trap particles such as dust, dirt, allergens, and other debris to stop them from circulating through your system and back into your home.
Changing air filters regularly is extremely important to keeping your indoor air quality in good condition. The filters catch all of the dust, pet hair, and allergen particles to stop them from circulating throughout your home. If you don’t remember to regularly change the filter out, not only could your air quality become extremely poor, but the buildup could lessen the efficiency of your HVAC system by making it have to work harder to get air flowing to your home.
You may have heard that closing some vents in unused rooms in your home will help you to save energy and money, but this is incorrect. Blocking off the air to certain parts of your home will increase the pressure load on the HVAC unit, since the same amount of air is still being sent but is simply being obstructed. This can cause damage to the HVAC unit since it could overexert itself to achieve heating or cooling in the room where the vent is closed.
Having a professional HVAC contractor inspect your system just before the winter and summer months is a way to get ahead of any potential issues that could have your system failing right in the middle of a heat wave or freezing temperatures. Certified technicians are trained in these HVAC systems and will be able to spot any small problems and remedy them before they can turn into larger emergencies. Having these tune-ups after a long period of non-use, just before you are planning to regularly use the heater or air conditioner in your home, is the best time to have these HVAC maintenance inspections done so that you do not have to be subject to longer wait times in the middle of cooling or heating season. It’s important to pay attention to any strange noises or smells that come from the unit as well so that you can schedule an inspection right away.
Finding the most energy-efficient temperature setting for your thermostat and not fluctuating it too much once you’ve found it is a way to keep your HVAC system running smoothly. You should only adjust a couple of degrees every now and then if you are uncomfortable. Adjusting the thermostat a large amount will not cool or warm the house any faster, but it will expend unnecessary energy once the temperature exceeds the level you want it at.
Ducts can become extremely dirty over time with the dust particles that are circulating. Blocked ducts can cause unhealthy indoor air and make your HVAC unit work harder since it will not be able to get proper airflow through ducts that are clogged with debris and will be using a greater amount of energy to try to bring your home to the desired temperature. Whether you clean them yourself or hire an HVAC contractor to do it, it is an incredibly important task to perform on a regular basis.
Duct sealing is another important task to perform if you notice any damaged ductwork, leaky air ducts, or other issues with the duct system. Duct tape is not a surefire way to properly seal your ducts. Professional ductwork sealing is a useful project that can utilize a substance called Aeroseal that will bind to the cracks and holes in your ducts with a seal that is guaranteed to last at least 40 years or more. If you do not seal ductwork when you notice duct leakage, energy can be wasted from air leaks going into your attic, crawlspace, and other unconditioned spaces, increasing AC and heating bills.
If you have a lot of debris, such as leaves and branches, covering the outdoor unit, it could affect its performance and even cause a breakdown. Also, you want to keep the area around your indoor furnace and outdoor air conditioner clear as well. The units need space to breathe, and you should be especially sure to keep flammable objects far away from your furnace in the utility closet.
The evaporator coil can become clogged with mineral deposits over time, so it is important to keep the coil and drain clean so as not to cause a less efficient AC and higher utility bills. They should be cleaned using a vacuum cleaner.
A properly insulated home will help to save money on heating bills and not waste energy. Heat will naturally flow to openings around the windows, doors, roof, and walls of your home. This means you will be spending more money trying to get your home to reach the desired temperature while a good amount of air is escaping out of your home. Good insulation in these areas will help you to save on energy bills so that you do not leak heated air outside of the house.
Before you prepare for a season of heating or cooling after a long period of not using your system, it is important to run a quick check yourself. This is especially important with your furnace, since gas furnaces work with dangerous materials that can be a serious hazard to your household if there is a malfunction in the system. It is vital to check all of the carbon monoxide detectors in your home to make sure they are working, as well as check the pilot flame to make sure it is the right color before you activate the heating mode. If it is not blue, you should call an HVAC technician right away.
Keeping up with the extensive HVAC knowledge can be intimidating. Luckily, the experts at John Owens Services are here to help. We offer extensive HVAC services that include furnaces, air conditioners, radiant heating, heat pumps, and more. We have been serving Novato and the surrounding Marin County area since 1986 with superior HVAC services for homeowners. Our HVAC technicians are licensed and insured to make sure every project is completed safely and that every piece of equipment we work on works smoothly and lasts many years afterward. With our preventative maintenance, we can work with the many different aspects of the system, such as the electrical connections and furnace heating elements, and make sure everything is in good shape to carry you through the winter and summer months.
We prioritize repair and preventative maintenance over replacement so that we can extend the life of your current system as long as possible. We can even offer HVAC maintenance tips for your AC and heating system. We only recommend a replacement HVAC unit if your current system has gone past its lifespan or is extremely damaged or inefficient.
When we do offer a replacement installation, our HVAC technicians can work with you to decide on the best option that will suit your household needs. We are even able to design a custom system, with benefits such as zoned heating and air conditioning systems, to better suit your home and save you from unnecessary energy costs. With newer models, you can enjoy benefits such as better reliability, renewed warranty coverage, and lower energy costs.
Proper HVAC maintenance and energy-efficient practices are the main things that will maintain and extend the lifespan of your system. Make sure you are familiar with the different aspects of your equipment and keep in mind the common mistakes that can easily be avoided to get ahead of any HVAC troubles. Things like programmable thermostats and high-efficiency models can help you improve energy savings. Lastly, remember that hiring an HVAC contractor like John Owens Services can help you make sure you are receiving the very best quality service when it comes to HVAC services. Save on your next utility bill by calling us today for preventative maintenance tips, repair services, installation questions, and more!
Our philosophy is simple, we always want to maintain equipment to give it the longest life possible. Next, we want to focus on repairing when something goes wrong. Then only as the last choice, we replace equipment when needed. That’s the John Owens Way.
San Rafael 
Book Now