Seasonal Furnace and A/C Maintenance
When it gets hot, you want assurance that your air conditioning is effective and won’t break down at peak temperatures. Just like a car, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems must be maintained and inspected to ensure safety, maximize both energy efficiency and your comfort, and ensure maximum system lifespan.
We recommend that homeowners be proactive and have an annual air conditioning tune-up. Regular tune-ups:
- Prolong the life of your system.
- Save energy and money on utility bills by keeping your system running at peak efficiency.
- Avoid breakdowns and the need for emergency service calls when the weather gets hot.
- Keep your system’s warranty in good standing – most homeowners are unaware of their voided warranty if they do not service the system annually.
Our team of NATE certified technicians are exceptionally skilled and certified to work on all air conditioner brands.
Air Conditioner Tune-Ups include;
- Examine Air Conditioner installation quality
- Examine equipment condition area, and clearances
- Measure temperature difference across evaporator coil
- Check for noise, vibration, and proper air flow
- Check all electrical connections
- Check all wiring from disconnect switch to unit
- Check for proper voltage to equipment
- Clean and/or replace standard HVAC air filters
- Lubricate all moving parts
- Visually check accessible components for any indication of freon leaks
- Measure temperature difference between supply air and return air
- Measure refrigerant temperature and pressure
- Check and clean condenser coil
- Check fan rotation
- Check for proper air flow
Some Furnace & A/C Problems Or Failures That Might Not Be Discovered Without An Annual Inspection:
Safety Issues
- Carbon Monoxide (CO2) Poisoning from an improperly vented furnace. The vent can work safely for years, then suddenly not be venting safely due to something as simple as a bird’s nest built at the top of the vent.
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from a cracked Furnace Heat-Exchanger. Your gas furnace burners heat a metal structure (heat exchanger) inside your furnace. The blower moves air over this structure and distributes the heated air to the home. Over the lifetime of the furnace, it’s not uncommon for a heat-exchanger to crack due to years of expansion during heating & contraction when burners are off. A cracked unit allows carbon monoxide into the home.
- Because Carbon Monoxide build-up can occur at any time, and for a myriad of reasons, your safety is dependent on having working Co2 Detector. It’s critical to know CO2 detectors wear out after at ten years. They can appear to be working correctly and may work during a test, but the ability of the Detector to do its job is unreliable at ten years.
- Replace the battery annually (or when detector beeps) and replace the detector once it is ten years old. Put the install date on the ceiling side of Detector before installation.
- The cooling-coil (inside the furnace & not visible) can clog with dust, even with proper filter changes (the filter does not catch everything). This coil is what removes humidity from the home, so it’s wet most of the time. Moisture and dust are all that mold needs to grow. Then mold-spores are blown through the house by the furnace.
Inconvenience Issues
- Refrigerant marginally low in A/C. Yes, it will still cool, but it must run longer to maintain the indoor temperature, resulting in higher electricity bills and less comfortable when the A/C cannot keep up because it’s not cooling to its full ability.
- No heat due to improper gas pressure in the gas furnace. The gas valve will not open due to improper gas pressure. If gas pressure is too high/low, the valve will not open (a safety feature).
- No heat due to failed furnace igniter. Igniters fail over time due to the rapid expansion and contraction of the metal (which heats to the point it produces an orange glow) which ignites the burners.
- No cooling due to the A/C condenser (outside unit) fan that stops working. The condenser will continue to run until it trips a safety overload switch and shuts down. In a worse case, if the safety overload switch does not work and the A/C condenser can be damaged, requiring expensive repairs or replacement.
- Little or no cooling due to a frozen evaporator-coil (inside the furnace and not visible) is, typically, caused by a clogged air filter or low refrigerant level. If there is a blocked filter, the system may continue to run non-stop in an attempt to cool with such restricted air-flow.
- Very little or no cooling due to low refrigerant. In nearly every case, this indicates the system has started leaking refrigerant. Left unattended, the A/C produces less and less cooling and will eventually become damaged, requiring replacement.
Al’s Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning
Call Al’s today for a cooling or heating system inspection. You can also purchase Al’s Preferred Service Agreement (PSA) which includes Furnace and Air Conditioner Maintenance Inspections, Water heater maintenance, plus other services to check and correct problems before they pose a safety risk or inconvenience. With Al’s PSA, you can rest assured of maximum energy efficiency and comfort with a properly operating HVAC System. Additionally, properly maintained systems last longer.
Al’s provides Full-Service HVAC System Maintenance, Repair and Replacement Services on all brands of Air Conditioners, Furnaces and Heat Pumps (including Trane and American Standard). We perform every service needed to keep your heating and air conditioning system running at its best.
We sell and install American Standard, Coleman and Ameristar — Air Conditioner unit, Furnace and Heat Pump.
Our HVAC Technicians are NATE (North American Technician Excellence) Certified. They are trained and experienced in providing maintenance and repair of your HVAC System + Installation of new HVAC systems.
