Fall is a wonderful season of colorful and crisp leaves, cooler air, seasonal spices, and hoodie weather. It’s many people’s favorite season of the year. Any season can be ruined, however, if you aren’t keeping up with regular maintenance on your HVAC system, including tune-ups on your furnace and air conditioning. You may not think about running the air conditioner much during the cooler seasons, but many locations still experience unusually warm days during the fall. Autumn weather also means that winter is approaching, and the last thing you need is for your heating system to fail you during freezing weather.
According to the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), preventative maintenance is crucial for keeping your house safe and comfortable, not to mention the fact that HVAC maintenance can save you a great deal of money. A furnace tune-up, in particular, is crucial during the fall to clean it out and look for any potential issues that could cause trouble when you really need it. Here’s how skipping fall tune-ups may lead to reduced efficiency.
Your system may overwork itself.
One of the main reasons that routine maintenance is crucial for HVAC units is that neglecting scheduled tune-ups can cause your system to work harder than it needs to. This puts your system at a higher risk for breaking down, and it can easily drive up your energy costs. A furnace tune-up includes a full inspection, as well as maintenance service to ensure that your system works at peak performance.
Regular tune-ups include checking your vent system for blockages and removing them, an oil change to lubricate all the moving parts, tightening any coils or other parts that may have been loosened, an electrical wiring check, thermostat calibration, airflow tests, and more. There are also some important maintenance steps that you can conduct yourself, such as changing out air filters when they need it. Keeping up with your maintenance is a good idea to keep maximum efficiency, and it’s an excellent way to lower your energy bill.
Your in-home air quality may drop.
Another great reason that you need to let a technician perform fall tune-ups is that it will keep your indoor air quality high. When you think of pollutants, it’s likely that you think of all the contaminants outside rather than considering that they may be in your home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, there’s a growing body of evidence to suggest that indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air, even in the biggest cities.
Homeowners may expose themselves to indoor pollutants in a variety of ways, such as by tracking dirt, pollen, and allergens into the house. Pet dander can also contaminate the air, as can mold caused by any excessive moisture. If your HVAC system develops clogs caused by these contaminants, it can easily spread them throughout your home even more, and if the clogs get bad enough, you may even experience an unexpected breakdown. Annual maintenance gives you a chance to clean these clogs and have the rest of your system inspected for additional problems. This also helps protect you from carbon monoxide leaks, which are commonly caused by a crack in the heat exchanger.
You may lose your warranty.
HVAC units aren’t known for being cheap, and you certainly don’t need to lose your system warranty before the time expires. Many system warranties stipulate that the system must receive annual maintenance, like a fall tune-up, in order to maintain compliance. If you fail to keep up with these standards due to a lack of maintenance or annual inspections, you may find yourself losing your warranty early.
Make sure that you keep your home safe and efficient by having a qualified technician perform regular check-ups in the fall. It’s the best way to keep minor problems from turning into major ones.