No other service offers homeowners the proven benefits that regular heat pump maintenance does. Learn the tasks your technician performs during maintenance, and what you should be doing over the course of the cooling season to boost the results of heat pump maintenance.
Professional tasks include:
- Giving the entire system a once-over, checking for components that are succumbing to wear and tear.
- Replacing worn components.
- Cleaning all components in the system, removing dirt from areas such as the coils, motors, fan blades, compressor and so forth.
- Checking the ductwork, the component that delivers conditioned air to your living spaces. Air leaks and poor insulation lead to lost energy and higher energy costs.
- Testing the defrost sensor, ensuring the system accurately senses the presence of ice, and will remove it promptly and efficiently.
- Checking the refrigerant levels by measuring the charge. The technician can safely add refrigerant if existing levels don’t meet manufacturers specifications. If the level is low, he’ll look for leaks.
- Cleaning the condensate drain and the lines, making sure that water is safely drained out of the system, and into the home’s main plumbing lines.
- Testing the airflow through the air handler, making adjustments as necessary.
- Tightening electrical connections, and lubricating motors and bearings as needed.
- Testing the thermostat, calibrating it if indoor temperature readings are not accurate. Moving the thermostat may resolve problems, if it’s influenced by the sun or drafts.
- Inspecting the system’s controls, ensuring that the heating mode won’t run when the cooling mode is operational.
Don’t neglect to perform these DIY heat pump maintenance tasks:
- Checking the air filter. Every month, pull the filter out, and hold it up to a light. If the surface appears dirty and you can’t see the light shining through, install a new one.
- Keeping a 2-foot perimeter around the condenser clear of leaves, grass and other yard debris, in order to maintain proper airflow. Hose down the condenser periodically to remove dirt and debris that collects on components, hindering heat exchange.
The benefits of scheduling professional heat pump maintenance and performing DIY tasks are proven. Contact Ace Hardware Home Services today to schedule an appointment to start cutting energy costs, preserving the heat pump’s life span, and decreasing the likelihood of a costly repair. We’ve served homeowners in the Greater Dayton area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pump maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock