As you plan your spring cleaning and household maintenance, don’t neglect your HVAC system. While your heat pump may be taking a break from its duties because of the lovely spring weather, summer is just around the corner. Heat pump maintenance is a year round concern for residents of Bay Minnette AL, and it’s time to add this preventive service to your spring checklist.

Manage Your System with a Tune-Up

Every heat pump has a limited life span. As soon as it’s placed in service, its moving parts begin to wear. A tune-up is an opportunity for a certified HVAC technician to check the condition of these parts and other components in your system to ensure proper function. A neglected system won’t last as long as an optimized system for a number of reasons:

• Poor performance leads to overuse of a heat pump, causing stress on the system’s compressor
• Low refrigerant levels and dirty coils can cause those coils to freeze, leading to compressor damage
• Fragile parts can break and lead to permanent damage to a heat pump

Optimization allows us to diagnose problems and recommend corrections. Low refrigerant levels, for example, indicate a leak. If the leak isn’t addressed, the result could be permanent damage to your heat pump.

Financial Benefits of Heat Pump Maintenance

The most obvious benefit in having periodic service for your heat pump is the extended life. A system replacement can be expensive, and avoiding this expense can allow you ample time to set aside the funds required for the eventual need. Additionally, poor performance affects energy use. If your refrigerant drops just 10 percent below its recommended level, you can expect your energy bill to rise approximately 20 percent. If your dirty coils aren’t cleaned, they can contribute another 20 percent to that bill. Leaky ducts can cause significant energy loss, leading to additional increases in your bills. Thorough maintenance can trim a lot of waste from your household operating costs.

Frequency of Tune-Up Service

We recommend that you add heat pump maintenance to both your spring and fall checklists yearly. Little issues can lead to big expenses if left unchecked over time. Spring service will primarily address cooling needs while fall service will address heating needs. The overall health of your system is assessed every time that it is serviced. Having this done prior to cooling or heating use for the coming season allows plenty of time for corrections to be made. Regular tune-ups can eliminate up to 95 percent of repair needs, providing you with dependable HVAC service when you need it.

Choosing a New Heat Pump

If you’ve noticed poor performance from your heat pump in recent seasonal use, a tune-up may be just what it’s needed. If a tune-up doesn’t improve performance, then you may want to consider upgrading. If your system is older, you can improve your energy usage up to 40 percent with a new model. Modern efficiency levels are remarkably higher than those of just a few years ago, and it’s possible to recover your investment in a new Bryant system rather quickly. Contact one of our technicians at Action Heating & Air to discuss your heat pump concerns today.