We’ve all heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Many apply that saying too loosely to preventive maintenance on a variety of home equipment, from lawnmowers to heating and cooling equipment. The trouble is, a preventive maintenance plan has more benefits than many homeowners might initially realize. Imagine a row of dominoes: Once the first one falls over, each successive one topples, until they’ve all fallen. Your HVAC equipment can end up the same way, without service.
The Price of Neglect
In a furnace system, the combustion process can leave residue and gunk on the burner, which can clog the burner, reduce fuel flow and then diminish the heater’s efficiency. Then, it starts running more often to keep up. Eventually, your air handler may break down from being overworked and overheated, or your furnace burner may fail and must be replaced. Neither item can be repaired for the price of simple preventive maintenance service, along with the service call and installation costs. Plus, by this time, you’ve spent far more in energy costs than you should have.
Benefits of Preventive Maintenance
- Peace of Mind: Regular preventive maintenance ensures that your system is prepared for the upcoming season. There are no mystery problems lurking that will surprise you with a costly repair or replacement at an inopportune time.
- Lower Energy Costs: A system that is tuned for optimum performance saves on energy costs. Studies have shown those savings can be as much as 20 percent. Even at a savings of 10 percent, over the life of the system, you’ve probably more than paid for maintenance.
- Lifespan: Maintenance will extend the life of any equipment. Keeping parts clean, adjusted, lubricated and in balanced working order ensures a longer life, which gives you a better payback on your original investment.
- Peak Comfort and Air Quality: Maintenance goes a long way to keep your home more comfortable and your indoor air cleaner.
For information or questions on preventive service, contact T. F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. We are happy to review our maintenance plans with you. Whenever you have home-comfort questions, call us – we’re always ready with the answers you need.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preventive maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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