When you want the most from your heating and cooling system, be sure that you stay on top of preventive maintenance. HVAC equipment needs routine maintenance to run at its best. The most convenient and often affordable way to manage your system is through a preventative maintenance agreement (PMA).

These are agreements between you and your HVAC provider that simplify the process for you and benefit your equipment in a number of ways. Routine maintenance involves these services for your system:

• If you have a combustion furnace, routine maintenance keeps you safer. The technicians clean and adjust the parts that deliver fuel to your furnace, tighten any fuel connections and clean the gas valve, along with the burner. They also make adjustments to the air-fuel ratio and check the quality of the flame. Professional HVAC contractors use tools and equipment to clean areas of the furnace that are hard to reach, increasing efficiency and safety. They check the belt inside the air handler and lubricate the motor.
• The system check also involves cleaning, tightening and lubricating the electrical connections, which prevents them from overheating. Your system also uses electricity more efficiently when the connections are clean and tight. They’ll also calibrate the thermostat and make sure that the safety switches are working properly.
• Although it’s not often, sometimes refrigerant levels are too high or low. The technician checks these levels during preventive maintenance. Running a system with improper refrigerant levels results in higher energy bills and premature compressor failure.

During the inspection process, the HVAC technician spots problems before they occur, keeping your equipment working as close to factory specifications as possible. A PMA typically provides you with discounts on parts and labor and gives you priority over other customers when you do have an emergency.

Record-keeping is also part of the benefits a PMA gives you, and when you get ready to sell your home, you can show prospective buyers that your equipment was maintained at regular intervals.

If you’d like more information about preventive maintenance, contact Smoky Mountain Heating & Air. We provide HVAC services for the Asheville region.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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