An Effective HVAC Preventative Maintenance Checklist for Year-Round Comfort

How do you keep your heating and cooling system in check throughout the year? If you don’t have much of a game plan, you need a comprehensive HVAC preventative maintenance checklist to keep you aware of your system’s performance. A1 Mechanical Heating & Cooling would love to help! 

We provide reputable furnace repair in Dayton, Ohio, among other quality HVAC services. Our technicians know a thing or two about what property owners can do to protect their equipment. Let’s jump into it without further ado.

Remember: These Tips Don’t Replace Seasonal Tune-Ups

Do-it-yourself HVAC maintenance helps home and business owners:

• Familiarize themselves with their HVAC systems
• Keep the equipment clean and functional
• Know when something isn’t quite right
• Prolong their equipment’s performance
• Save a little money on utility bills and repairs

However, you shouldn’t perform self-maintenance tasks while skipping professional services. Tune-ups from seasoned technicians go much deeper than periodic once-overs and tidying efforts. Treat these services as part of an overarching maintenance approach instead.

Your HVAC Preventative Maintenance Checklist for Home or Business

You are probably familiar with some of the more basic tasks on this checklist, like replacing your filters or resetting your thermostat as needed. But how often should you perform them? What time of year works best for each item on this HVAC preventative checklist?

You’ll learn all about those and other details below. Plus, you can pick up some bonus tips to further enhance your HVAC system’s performance and comfort. 

Monthly Checklist

Many property owners deep clean their buildings monthly. Add your HVAC system to those efforts. When cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming, remember to:

• Remove and rinse all vent grates: Vent and duct cleaning efforts are essential for good indoor air quality and heating or cooling functions. The grates collect dust and allergens that can re-enter your building if you don’t clean them off. 
• Vacuum any debris from the immediate ductwork openings: Carefully insert the vacuum hose into accessible ductwork. Allow it to suck up excess debris for cleaner air. 
• Clear the area surrounding your outdoor unit: Outdoor unit clearance enables the equipment to breathe. A dirty, crowded unit cannot intake or output enough air to function properly otherwise. 
• Give the air handler some space: Give the indoor air handler the same treatment as the outdoor unit. Like other machinery, it needs at least two feet of space on all sides.

Quarterly Checklist

Every three months, you undergo a seasonal shift. That shift brings new weather patterns and temperature fluctuations that directly affect your HVAC system. You can plan accordingly with thermostat optimization and air filter replacement.

Thermostat optimization means ensuring your thermostat settings reflect the seasonal climate changes. Check and replace the battery if needed, and adjust the settings to reflect your comfort preferences. You can save money and prolong your system’s lifespan by keeping the settings between 65 and 68 degrees during autumn and winter or 78 and 80 degrees during spring and summer. 

Your quarterly HVAC preventative maintenance checklist should also include air filter replacement. Inserting a new one protects indoor air quality and keeps the system from overworking. However, you might need to replace it more often with:

• Pets
• Indoor smoking habits
• Candle or incense burning
• Respiratory illnesses

Half-Year Checklist

You should schedule a professional HVAC maintenance service every six months, preferably during early spring and autumn. The technician uses the spring session to check the air conditioner’s performance. This time-up prepares your cooling system for the warm months ahead. 

Meanwhile, the autumn service ensures your furnace can perform up to par during the cooler seasons. Heat pumps, boilers, and other system types need the same treatment. Your heat pump needs two tune-ups, while separate cooling and heating units only need one. 

The frequency of these professional maintenance services may increase as your systems age. An additional maintenance visit between the typical ones protects the performance of older equipment. 

You should also perform carbon monoxide detector testing every six months. Carbon monoxide detectors save lives in homes and businesses. If you don’t own one or two, purchase and place them near fuel-burning furnaces, water heaters, and stoves. 

Annual Checklist

Your HVAC equipment is all set with the above items on our HVAC preventative maintenance checklist. What else can you do to protect your system’s performance? The following items can enhance whole-building comfort while improving your equipment’s service life and energy usage:

• Seal known leaks: Check windows and doors for openings that might enable outdoor air to infiltrate your building. They silently increase your utility bills while chipping away at your comfort. 
• Check insulation quality: You should replace or top off your insulation every ten to 15 years. Poor insulation supplies your conditioned air with an escape hatch. 
• Analyze your utility bills: Compare your payments to previous years’ prices. Significant increases might indicate an invisible HVAC problem. 
• Clean your building from top to bottom: Dust and grime are everywhere! Wipe ceilings, walls, fan blades, and other surfaces you don’t frequently touch to protect your air quality. 

Additional Tips

What other services might benefit your property that might not qualify as checklist tasks? A1 Mechanical Heating & Cooling recommends the following:

• Explore media air filters. Media filters are thicker and more effective than the average filter you can purchase in stores. You can even wash and reuse some products, and they need less frequent replacements. 
• Hire professionals to clean your entire duct network. A technician should thoroughly clean the ducts every three to five years. 
• Install an air purifier. Purifiers keep occupants healthy and energetic by removing additional contaminants from the air. 
• Consider a humidifier. Humidifiers introduce much-needed moisture into dry air. This is especially helpful during winter. Plus, dry air feels cooler, so you will feel a little warmer and use the furnace a little less. 

A1 Mechanical Heating & Cooling Has Solutions for All Your HVAC Maintenance and Air Quality Needs

Fulfill your HVAC preventative maintenance checklist by choosing A1 Mechanical Heating & Cooling’s maintenance services. Our crew looks forward to servicing your HVAC. Call 502-708-2247 to get started.