Your HVAC system may not be the thing at the top of your mind when you first purchase a new home. However, you want to make sure that you have what you need to get the most from your system right from the start.
Whether you purchased a newly built home or an older home that’s new to you, routine HVAC maintenance is critical. Consider seven reasons why an HVAC maintenance plan is perfect for new buyers and learn what you can expect from your maintenance plan.
1. Preserve and Improved Efficiency
If you have a brand new HVAC system, starting with regular HVAC maintenance will preserve its efficiency. Only by maintaining its efficiency throughout its entire service life will you be able to control your heating and cooling costs. Further, maintaining its efficiency provides more even heating and cooling throughout your entire home.
When you purchase an older home, you might find some surprises regarding the HVAC system. You may not know how old the system is or how well it was maintained. Scheduling maintenance as soon as possible after closing on the house can significantly improve your system’s efficiency.
2. Reduced Repairs
Every HVAC system will eventually need some repairs as the system ages and components wear out. However, neglected maintenance increases the operational wear on these components and causes them to wear out more quickly.
By starting HVAC maintenance soon after purchasing your home, you reduce the overall wear on your system. With older homes and systems, finding problems that may exist when you purchase your home helps reduce the number and cost of repairs you’ll experience in the near future.
3. Maximize Service Life
Your system’s service life is largely determined by how you use it and how well you maintain it. The average air conditioner or heat pump has an expected service life of 10 to 15 years. If you have a gas furnace, the average life is 15 to 20 years. Annual maintenance on both your heating and cooling systems is critical to system efficiency.
Starting a maintenance plan on a new system right away ensures that you get the maximum number of years out of the system. In an older home with an older HVAC system, regular maintenance can put an end to the neglect the system may have experienced previously and reduce the rate of wear. This can give you more time before considering replacing the system.
4. Warranty Protection
Many HVAC manufacturers offer warranties at the time of installation to protect buyers against faulty equipment. Many manufacturers offer a 5-year warranty that they may extend up to 10 years once you register your equipment. To maintain the terms of that warranty, however, you will likely need to complete annual system maintenance. Manufacturers know that, without regular maintenance, components will fail more quickly and the system won’t last as long. If you purchased a new construction, make sure to talk with your home’s builder about how to register your HVAC equipment.
If you’ve purchased a home from a previous homeowner, check for any information on the HVAC warranty. Some manufacturers require transfer paperwork and may also have a transfer fee. Also, most manufacturers will only offer the basic 5-year warranty for transfers. However, even that 5-year warranty may be invalid if you skip maintenance.
5. Better Indoor Air Quality
Part of what maintenance does that improves HVAC efficiency is improved airflow through the system. More air moving through the system means more air moving through the filter, allowing it to remove more particles, which improves your indoor air quality.
HVAC maintenance also helps clean out some of the contaminants built up in the system. As your system runs, the circulating air will pick up the contaminants in your system and circulate them back into your home. The best way to prevent this is by cleaning the system, such as the ductwork and circulating fan, to physically remove them.
6. Discounted Repairs
Your HVAC system will eventually break down and need repairs, even when maintained annually. Routine maintenance will help you identify those problems early to reduce the amount of strain on your system and the additional damage they may cause.
One of the benefits of a maintenance plan versus a simple maintenance visit is a discount on those repairs. With Allbritten, you get a 15% discount on heating and cooling repairs.
7. Convenient Maintenance Scheduling
No matter how good your intentions are at staying current on your HVAC maintenance, life has a way of getting in the way. You get busy with your career, family, and hobbies, and before you know it, it’s been a couple of years since your system has had maintenance.
With a maintenance agreement, you don’t have to worry about remembering to call to schedule your spring and fall maintenance. Instead, our friendly staff will proactively call when it’s time to schedule and find a time that works into your schedule and life.
What’s Included In an HVAC Maintenance Plan
The primary benefit of a maintenance plan is that it provides easy, convenient, worry-free annual heating and cooling maintenance. You’ll have a maintenance visit in the spring for your air conditioning and one in the fall for your heating.
Your air conditioning maintenance will include checking the refrigerant level, the compressor’s function, and the electrical draw of all motors. It’ll also include inspecting the service disconnect, the evaporator and condensing coils and fins, and the condition of your refrigerant lines. Your technician will tighten all electrical connections, inspect and oil your fan motor, clear your condensate drain, and change your air filter.
Your furnace maintenance starts with inspecting and cleaning the flame sensor and adjusting the burners. Your technician will visually inspect your heat exchanger to check for cracks, as well as inspect your combustion air inlet, combustion fan motor, burner ignition, safety controls, pulleys, belts, and electrical connections. They’ll test the fan temperature switch, and the limit switch and inspect and oil the fan motor bearings.
Beyond the actual tasks of HVAC maintenance, your maintenance plan has several other benefits. Maintenance plan customers get priority scheduling when there is a problem with their system. This is especially helpful during the hottest and coldest months when systems are most likely to break down and service providers are busiest. Additionally, maintenance plan customers also receive special discounts and coupons to reduce the cost of installing new equipment or improving their system with devices like air purifiers or scrubbers.
Homeowners around Fresno have turned to [comapny_name] to keep their home’s HVAC system running well since 1932. Our expert team proudly offers heating and air conditioning maintenance, repair, and installation together with home energy audits, indoor air quality solutions, and a whole range of residential plumbing services. Call to sign-up for an HVAC maintenance plan today.
