Your heat pump is a marvel! Not only does it cool your home like a fantastic air conditioner, it provides heat as well, and much more efficiently than other options like a furnace or boiler. But it’ll only work as well as it should—and as efficiently as it should—if you keep it in good condition.
What do you need to do to keep your heat pump happy? The most important thing is to make sure it receives regular professional maintenance. So whether you’re planning for hot or cold weather, don’t forget a heat pump tune up in Birmingham, AL. Heat pump maintenance from a qualified technician will give you a wide array of benefits. What benefits? What will the technician do? We’re so glad you asked.
The Process of Heat Pump Maintenance
During maintenance, your HVAC technician will be working from a long to-do list of detailed items. But they all fall into four main categories: cleaning, lubricating, inspecting, and testing.
- Cleaning: All the components of the system will be thoroughly cleaned. This involves a lot of dust removal but also means taking apart the drainage system and cleaning any mess caused by moisture such as mold, algae, or bacteria that you don’t want in your air.
- Lubricating: Where components rub together, lubricant is required in order to decrease friction and keep everything moving easily. Lubrication wears away during use and must be reapplied.
- Inspection: Wear and tear is normal, and parts can wear out. The vibration of the system can also cause screws to loosen and components to jiggle out of place. Your technician will check everything meticulously, tightening, adjusting, and replacing as necessary.
- Testing: This has to do with electrical components and wiring. The system will only work properly if wires are securely connected, the motor is drawing the correct amount of power, and the thermostat is accurately calibrated.
Benefits of Heat Pump Maintenance
Once your heat pump has been professionally maintained, any decrease in efficiency will be remedied. This decrease happens because of friction, wear and tear, and overheating from layers of dust and lack of lubrication. These same things will also help a newly maintained heat pump work more effectively and keep your home more comfortable.
In addition, catching tiny issues such as out-of-position components or miscalibrated thermostats will prevent them from getting any bigger, thus cutting down on repair needs by as much as 85%. And the heat pump will last longer, too—perhaps even twice as many years as a heat pump that doesn’t receive maintenance. And if your heat pump is still under warranty, maintenance will help keep it that way.
Frequency of Heat Pump Maintenance
A traditional air conditioner works hard all summer, and it’s best to have that maintained in the spring, before the season when you need it most. And a furnace works hard all winter, so it’s generally maintained in the fall, to be ready for that hard work. But since a heat pump does both jobs, it requires maintenance at both times of year.
“Your experience is what matters most!” Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today for help with all your heat pump services.
