Gammon’s Heating and Cooling Podcast
MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. Contractors get busy once summer and winter come, so it's best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall.
- Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away
- Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors.
- Lubricate all moving parts
- Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels
COOLING SPECIFIC
- Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils
Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. - Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level
and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. - Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels
Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent.
HEATING SPECIFIC
- Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger
- Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problem.
- A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation.
ACTIONS TO DO YOURSELF
- Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.
Version: 20240320