The Importance of Regular HVAC Maintenance for Homeowners Over 55

Once you’ve been through a summer in Austin, you know how important your home’s HVAC system is – it’s not just for comfort but also safety. To keep it humming, regular maintenance is key. Here are a few items that can be done regularly to ensure you don’t need to replace your unit when it’s 110 degrees out and you can’t get any AC guy to return your calls.

What is HVAC Maintenance?

Put simply, maintenance is taking care of specific components that can extend the life of your HVAC system, inspecting the unit to ensure parts are replaced before they break and cause damage to the whole system, and ensuring you are getting optimal performance.

The key components that need to be checked quarterly include:

•   Air filters

• Coils (both the evaporator and condenser coils)

• Condensate drain line

• Inspect outdoor unit

Replacing the air filters at least once every three months, checking the coils to ensure they are clean and unobstructed, and clearing the condensate drain line are simple actions that can be taken that will improve the efficiency of your HVAC system (and keep your energy bill down). Additionally, ensuring the outdoor unit has no vegetation growing into it will ensure proper airflow and ensure the unit is performing at peak efficiency.

In Austin, most air handlers and condensers are in the attic, which can create some difficulties to maintain for homeowners older than 55 and attic temperatures commonly reach 130+ degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. This is one of the reasons we offer monthly home maintenance plans to ensure these regular maintenance issues are taken care of.

Biannual HVAC Maintenance

Along with the quarterly maintenance, we recommend a few items to take care of in the Spring and Fall (when your HVAC unit is coming off a hard working Winter or Summer). This includes:

• Checking refrigerant levels

• Clean the heat exchanger

• Inspect all electrical connections & tighten them when necessary

• Lubricate all moving parts

• Check for unusual noises or smells.

• Clean the blower assembly

Then, once per year, it’s important to inspect your ductwork, ensure there are no leaks (repair them if there are), and clean out the ducts when dust accumulates.

Home Maintenance on a Budget

As the typical homeowner spends 2-4% of their home value on maintenance per year, it is essential for retirees to ensure there are no unnecessary maintenance bills. We have seen that simple, regular maintenance on HVAC systems commonly adds years onto the system’s life (for example: seeing systems that have a projected 10 year lifespan last 15) and lessens the need for expensive emergency repairs, saving homeowners that are retired and on a budget quite a bit of money.

If you would like to learn more about our monthly home maintenance plans for HVAC systems and your home as a whole, please contact us for a free assessment.