When the summer starts to cool, and it is time to turn the air conditioning off in your home, it is an excellent time to consider having the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system in your home serviced. If you wait until the weather gets cold enough to need the heat, you may find yourself without heat when you need it.
Inspecting the Heater
After you call and set up an appointment for the service, a technician will come to your home and inspect your heater to ensure it is going to run correctly. They will check everything that is important and get the unit ready to use on the cold winter days that are coming. The tech will change all the filters in the system and check for any problems inside the home. As long as the unit inside is operating correctly, they will not make any adjustments inside.
Inspecting the Air Handler Outside
Once the tech has finished inside, they will move to the exterior of the home and inspect the unit there. The cover will be removed so that the tech can clean out the inside of the unit. In some cases, spiders, snakes, and other small critters may be hiding inside the unit to try and keep themselves safe and warm. If the tech discovers anything that doesn't belong inside the air handler, he or she will remove it for you.
While the cover is off, the tech will also check all the wiring and controllers to make sure they are working correctly. If there is any problem that is found during the inspection, replacing the part now is better than waiting until you need it and it doesn't work.
Fuel Filters and Air Ducts
If your furnace runs on oil, then it has a fuel filter that needs to be periodically changed. Heating oil is a lot like diesel fuel, in that it is thick and can contain particulates in it. Keeping the dirt out of the burner is essential and will make the furnace run bad if it gets though.
Many HVAC services can help you with cleaning the ductwork in your home as well. If they don't do the cleaning, they can recommend a service for you. If the system has been sitting all year and you are starting it for the first time, it can be beneficial to clean the ducts first. If your HVAC system uses the same ductwork for heat and air conditioning, they most likely will not require cleaning.
Once the tech has finished their work, you can start the system and test run it. If everything functions as you expect it to, you can sit back and wait for the snow.
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