Get Up to Speed On This Year’s Essential HVAC Maintenance Tasks
Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is the backbone of your home’s comfort. An HVAC is what keeps you cool in the summer and warm during the winter. It’s also responsible for filtering out dust, debris, and airborne pathogens that affect your home’s air quality.
Like any complex system with a lot of moving parts, you must maintain your HVAC to keep it efficiently running. If you don’t, you might find yourself left in the cold (or heat), left with higher energy bills, or suffering with poor indoor air quality.
To start 2025 on the right foot, let’s cover some essential checklist items that your heating and cooling system needs throughout the year.
Winter HVAC Maintenance: It Keeps You Warm!
Winter can strain your HVAC system, especially the heating components, like your furnace, boiler, or heat pump. Stay warm and cozy inside with on-time maintenance for your heating system.
Start With an Inspection and Tune-Up
Before you turn the heat on, a professional technician should check your heating system for worn parts, clean the internal components, and ensure it’s efficiently operating. This helps prevent sudden breakdowns during the cold weather months. The technician will also check that your system is safe and not leaking carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas.
Filter Replacement
Dirty filters restrict airflow and force your HVAC system’s heating components to work harder, reducing efficiency. Regularly replacing your filters helps maintain optimal performance and air quality. During an inspection, your technician will change your filter, but you should continue to change yours every 30 days if you have pets or multiple people in your household or every 60 to 90 days if you live alone.
Thermostat Calibration
A properly calibrated thermostat eliminates hot and cold spots, ensures consistent comfort, and prevents your system from overworking. A properly calibrated thermostat will display the correct temperature and heat your home to your specifications.
HVAC Ductwork Inspection and Cleaning
Leaks or blockages in your ducts can cause uneven heating and wasted energy. Duct cleaning performed by a North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certified technician removes harmful debris and improves airflow. Clean ducts can reduce the amount of dust spread throughout your home, which can help prevent worsening allergy or asthma symptoms.
Heat Exchanger Check
A faulty heat exchanger can cause carbon monoxide leaks and other safety concerns. Regular inspections ensure cracks, blockages, leaks, and corrosion are caught during the earliest stages, helping minimize your risk.
Humidifier Maintenance
If your home uses a humidifier to combat dry winter air, HVAC technicians can inspect and clean it to help maintain indoor air quality.
Summer HVAC System Maintenance: Stay Cool!
As temperatures rise, your air conditioning system becomes the hero of your home. To avoid breakdowns during heat waves, get HVAC maintenance to prepare your central air.
Air Conditioner Tune-Up
A professional HVAC technician will inspect both the indoor and outdoor units, including the coils and fans, ensuring optimal efficiency and cooling performance.
Refrigerant Level Check
Low refrigerant levels reduce your AC’s ability to effectively cool your home. Inadequate refrigerant can lead to frozen coils and insufficient temperature control.
Outdoor Unit Cleaning
Clearing leaves, dirt, grass clippings, and other debris from the outdoor condenser unit promotes proper airflow and cooling efficiency. HVAC techs will also clean the evaporator and condenser coil, helping improve cooling efficiency. Throughout the summer months, you can help your condenser work properly by cleaning it using your garden hose between maintenance visits.
Filter Replacement
Like winter maintenance, clean filters maintain proper airflow and indoor air quality. Regularly changing your filters is especially important for people with respiratory issues or sensitive to allergens.
Thermostat Programming
Take advantage of programmable or smart thermostats to optimize cooling schedules and reduce energy consumption during peak hours.
The Importance Of Proactive HVAC Maintenance
Regular HVAC maintenance is an investment in your home’s comfort, safety, and efficiency. By following our 2025 checklist of services, you will:
- Keep your heating and cooling systems running at peak efficiency, which translates to lower energy expenses.
- Identify potential issues during the earliest stages, so you can address problems while they’re smaller and more manageable.
- Reduce allergens and pollutants in your home, helping maintain optimal indoor air quality.
- Achieve comfortable and consistent indoor temperatures, no matter how hot or cold it is outside.
- Extend the life of your HVAC system and its individual components, helping you avoid costly repairs and premature replacement.
- Protect your family from carbon monoxide leaks associated with your HVAC.
What’s the Best Way to Keep Up With Scheduled HVAC Maintenance?
Because most HVAC systems only require two check-ups per year, it can be easy to forget when you’re due for service. That’s why more and more Wichita homeowners are signing up for preventative maintenance plans.
An HVAC maintenance plan ensures you maintain year-round comfort and indoor air quality by delivering all essential services for a flat annual fee. Typical maintenance visits occur one time before summer and a second time before winter. This gives you peace of mind your heating and cooling system are up to the challenge extreme temperatures bring. Be sure you look for special offers and discounts when shopping maintenance plans.
