You likely spent top dollar financing your HVAC system, and you understandably want it to last as long as possible. So, what’s the secret to long-lived heating and cooling equipment?
Maintenance services often extend your AC’s lifespan by five to ten years, depending on your usage habits. Since Leith Heating & Cooling offers professional AC maintenance in Barrington Hills, IL, we’ve provided insights into why those tune-ups work so well at preserving your system. Get motivated to join our membership plan by reading more below.
What Exactly Does AC Maintenance Entail?
Since maintenance services are your golden ticket to a long-lived AC lifespan, what might they involve? You might surprised at how simple a professional checklist looks:
- Changing the filters. Your HVAC filter is a catchall for dust, allergens, pet fur… you name it! Frequent changes, both on your part and those of your technician, enable the system to breathe.
- Dusting coils, fan blades, and other internal components. Some debris that gets through the filter eventually settles inside the system.
- Checking the refrigerant levels. Refrigerant enables your system to transfer heat. Without proper levels, the equipment will constantly run with no productive temperature changes.
- Unblocking the drain line. Air conditioners connect to mini drainage systems that guide condensation outdoors. Blocked lines can cause watery woes that damage the unit.
- Lubricating and adjusting moving parts. When the technician applies lubricant or loosens a moving part, they keep friction to a minimum, which may extend the AC lifespan.
Now that you know a bit about what happens during a tune-up, let’s explore how those efforts contribute to a long-lived air conditioner.
How Does Maintenance Extend Your AC Lifespan in Barrington Hills, Illinois?
You likely already deduced that maintenance services make things work more cohesively within the system’s structure. So, what exactly does it do to extend HVAC longevity?
Breakdowns Are Things of the Past
Let’s put it this way. When an air conditioner suddenly breaks down, it has hit its stress threshold. It could even go beyond its limit before the shutdown.
That means a problem flew under the radar for far too long. So, your air conditioner weathers excess stress that causes a component to stop working. Regular service prevents breakdowns by keeping you in the loop about upcoming problems so you can respond accordingly.
Tackle Small Issues Before They Become Big Problems
Many of those aforementioned breakdowns occur because of small, easily missed concerns. A tiny problem that goes on for too long may culminate in a complete system failure within a year. For example, you won’t know that a blanket of thick dust overtook your coils without regular tune-ups.
Eventually, those coils may freeze up because they can’t release excess condensation without proper airflow. Sure, a Barrington Hills technician may fix the problem easily enough. However, the coils may not perform as well as before because of the additional, avoidable stress.
This might place a heavier load squarely on connected components, which causes a gradual chain reaction of component replacements.
Keep the Components Clean
We briefly touched on how filth eventually leads to failures. So, how does a clean system extend the AC lifespan? Well, if dirt and dust force your air conditioner to work harder and cycle for longer, then keeping the components clean as a whistle means shorter cycles and less strain on all equipment.
Ideally, you do as much as possible to minimize the system’s workload, which brings us to the next point.
Minimize Avoidable Wear and Tear
An air conditioner that keeps most or all of its original parts will probably outlast one with brand-new components it didn’t originally come with. How could that be? After all, a shiny new piece will probably perform better than a worn-out one, right?
Part replacements almost always mean that connected parts underwent excess wear and tear. You will eventually replace those, too, until the replacement services become too expensive to manage. Maintenance services keep everything balanced and in check.
How Else Do Tune-Ups Save Money?
Air conditioner maintenance protects your bank account in other unforeseen ways. When you join a membership plan, you can save even more cash long-term than by purchasing individual tune-ups. Learn more about how you can save below.
Lower Energy Bills
Efficiency plays a significant role in extending your AC lifespan. Energy-efficient HVAC systems don’t typically work as hard as older models and use fewer resources to function, which means more money is in your pocket per month.
Warranty Longevity
Many HVAC warranties in Barrington Hills, Illinois, require that property owners adhere to a regular maintenance schedule. A generous warranty might cover routine repairs or part replacements for five to ten years after installation. Keeping up with maintenance could protect you from a sudden financial burden caused by an impromptu repair need.
Fewer Repairs and Part Replacements
You want everything working harmoniously in your HVAC equipment. When a part failure occurs, it typically happens when you least expect it. For example, you already pay more to cover utility bills during summer’s peak when temperatures rise far past your comfort levels.
Suddenly, you’re paying six to seven hundred dollars more in July because your evaporator coils are shot. The cleanings that come with the average tune-up might well have prolonged this component’s performance and longevity, saving you half a grand.
No Premature System Removal and Installation
Which costs more: replacing the whole HVAC system every 15 to 20 years or every 10 to 15 years? Simple math shows the first. The longer your system lasts, the more you get your money’s worth from it.
Choose Leith Heating & Cooling for All Your HVAC Needs in Barrington Hills, Illinois
Since maintenance might extend your AC lifespan by ten years, what are you waiting for? Join Leith Heating & Cooling’s membership plan in Barrington Hills, Illinois. Then, learn more about what you can do to protect your HVAC equipment’s longevity.
We recommend starting with the importance of changing the AC filter every quarter. Contact us to learn more about what our membership offers!