Heating and Cooling Service Checklist

Maintaining your heating and cooling equipment in Jacksonville, Florida can save you hundreds of dollars each year. While it might seem like a pain, in the long run, you will be able to prevent future problems and unwanted expenditures by having a contractor come in annually to perform pre-season check-ups. Summer and winter are the busiest times of the year for contractors, so be sure you schedule your appointments in the spring and fall.

Air Conditioning Maintenance

Everyone enjoys being cool in the summertime. Unfortunately, air conditioning units don’t last forever but you can extend the life of yours by performing an annual check-up yourself or having a contractor perform one. Heating and cooling contractors from Jacksonville, Florida are affordable and reliable. Once hired, they will perform a routine check-up process that includes:

• Inspect Coils – The evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils can become filthy over time. This can cause a reduction in the air conditioning unit’s ability to cool your residence while at the same time causes your system to run longer. This will consume more energy, forcing you to pay a larger electric bill over time.
• Inspect Refrigerant Level – Your central air conditioning unit might have a low refrigerant level. This will make your unit work twice as hard and force you to replace your air conditioning unit sooner than necessary while making you pay a higher energy bill.
• Inspect Blower Components – Your heating and cooling contractor from Jacksonville, Florida will adjust these components for you, if necessary. The better the blower components work, the more comfortable you will be in your home. These components are important to maintain because they can reduce your air conditioning unit’s efficiency.

Heating Maintenance

Just like an air conditioning unit, your heating unit requires proper maintenance, too. Be sure to inspect (or have a heating and cooling contractor from Jacksonville, Florida inspect) all of the gas connections, heat exchanger, gas pressure and burner combustion. When gas connections are loose, natural gas leaks free into the home, making it a fire hazard. If not corrected immediately, this can cause health problems for you and your family. If your burner is dirty or your heat exchanger is cracked, it can cause your burner to not function correctly. All of these issues can cause increased wear and tear on the system as well as pose a health hazard to all who are exposed to the natural gas for an extended period of time.

Air Filter Replacement

A lot of people forget to check their air filters. If you don’t know how, your heating and cooling contractor from Jacksonville, Florida can show you how to do it yourself. A dirty filter can cause an increase in allergies in those who are allergy sensitive. It can also increase your energy bill while simultaneously damaging your equipment, which will promote early failure in your unit.

There are a myriad number of filters to choose from if you plan to change the filter yourself. Start first with the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (or MERV rating), which will tell you what air contaminants are filtered through the circulating air by the number on the filter’s package. The higher the number, the more contaminants the filter will pull through the air. Once you determine what you need to best suit you and your family, you can choose the appropriate filter.

Contaminants to consider:

• Bacteria
• Lint
• Dust Mites
• Smoke
• Pollen
• Virus-Carrying Particles