HVAC system maintenance is a serious thing and here's why

The primary reason why home comfort heating and cooling systems like Furnace, Air Conditioner and Heat Pumps breakdown before time is the lack of maintenance. Apart from the annual professional maintenance & tune-up which is crucial for the system, there are tasks that are supposed to be performed by the homeowners on a routine basis. This includes changing filters at least every three months and in peak seasons or in case of unusual scenarios of indoor pollution, every month.

In addition to changing the filter, slightly brushing off the indoor and outdoor unit of dust also help with good maintenance and ensures that dust & debris does not accumulate on the units.

Moreover, checking out for battery failures in the CO detector, the Thermostat must as well be added to the checklist. In the case of a Humidifier installed, giving it a thorough cleaning according to the manual is also necessary in order to ensure optimal performance from the system.

Below we discuss what difference routine maintenance has on the lifetime and efficiency of the system

Maintenance improves lifespan

No wonder you hear the new unit breakdown stories too often. There are these legends whose brand new HAVC system starts to cause serious troubles within the first few months of installation. With such a beginning, what must be the lifespan of the system? In general, unmaintained appliances fail to cover their lifespan and have to be replaced earlier. So the first and foremost disadvantage of no maintenance is a shorter lifespan.

Routine care - fewer Repairs

So the homeowner next door calls a repair tech every other month? And you can guess why. Because you've never really observed him taking care of their system. Routine maintenance ensures that you don't have to call the repair techs. People who completely follow professional guidelines when it comes to routine maintenance sometimes have their units work longer than usual and that too without any serious repairs.

Controlled energy bills

An appliance may be a one-time investment but the bills that it causes are not. To keep the HVAC appliances as cost-effective as possible, maintenance has its role to play. Unmaintained appliances have to work harder due to dust and debris accumulated on them, and the unlubricated parts that they have to work with. As a result, they run longer and harder which causes a hike in energy bills.

Resale Value

You could be thinking of selling your unit only after a few years of purchase. And guess what? No or insufficient maintenance suggests that you will have a very hard time selling the unit at least at a good price. Contrarily, properly maintained units get sold even after several years of usage.

This year, get over the laziness towards maintaining your HVAC appliances and save the unnecessary repairs that your system doesn't need.

Do you follow the habit of regular maintenance? If yes, how has it helped you over the years? If not, what loss has this caused you?

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How to ensure the safest use of space heaters


When it is overly cold and the Furnace fails to suffice or fails, space heaters are a great deal of help. Also, home where the central heating system is not installed, space heaters offer the prime comfort. There are several edges that space heaters have compared with other heating solutions, among which mobility is one while energy efficiency and cost efficiency are others. With easy usage and numerous benefits, there are some precautionary measures that need to be taken, every time a space heater is used. One of the most severe fire accidents and unhappy accidents are caused by them. Below we discuss how a common homeowner can ensure the safest possible use of space heater to make the most out of it.


Space/Portable Heaters Safety Measures

- Ideal Surface placement Tips

- When it comes to placement, it is highly recommended that a space heater is placed on a leveled and hard surface. No clothing material should be below it or near it. Concrete, tile or hard floor are ideal placements. Near carpet, on the sofa arm, near the closet or close to a hanging bedsheet are the wrong and risky placements. 

- Also, placements on heights should be avoided, as in the case of placement on tables or fireplace slab, etc. The heater can fall and may cause injuries or cause a fire.

- The distance of the space heater must be 3 feet from anything that is combustible.


- Precautions related to wires and extensions

- Most often, homeowners have a habit of pulling the wire from far away distance when they ought to unplug. The correct way is to pull the plug not the wire. Pulling the wire distorts the wire and this may lead to short-circuiting, sparks or wire burns.

- It is highly recommended by professionals to not use extension cords when using space heaters. They overheat and always maintain tripping risk.

- Stricly avoid the continuous use of frayed cords. Equally, avoid the practice of covering the frayed wire with electrical tape as this does not resolve the problem. Fires can't be stopped by covering the damaged wires with tapes.

- Cares when there are kids at home

- If you've kids at home, don't leave the two; heater and kids together in a room.

- Avoid the use of space heaters if there are crawling or walking kids at home.

- If space heaters are the only option you can afford, establish at least two layers of barriers in front of the space heater


Safety Tips for "Flammable" surroundings

- Avoid using space heaters in those surroundings where there are flammable materials stores; in garages, in the store/junk rooms, etc.

- For under desk use, be careful when choosing an under desk heater. Using a large-sized heater as an under-desk heater raises the possibilities of burns.

If you're looking for Space Heater purchase and want to make a decent purchase by choosing the most affordable and the most cost & energy-efficient unit, this post from pickhvac.com can help.

Have questions related to HVAC? Call today 1-855-245-4328

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HVAC Warranty Myths - What is covered and what is not

Homeowners are not found much interested in reading the appliance warranty manuals they are handed at the time of purchase and installation. The result is a rejection of a big number of warranty claims and on the other hand, a lot of expenses on the part of the homeowner when the warranty is not claimed and the entire expense comes on the side of the homeowner. These irritating experiences can be reduced only by increasing the awareness and upgrading homeowner's knowledge about the HVAC warranties, what they cover and what they don't, who to claim them to and how to do.
This blog today is covering the coverage part; what is covered under HVAC manufacturer's warranty and what is not covered. Let's begin.


Note:
Please note that all HVAC warranties are "Limited Warranties" which means a warranty should not be expected to cover every kind of damage that will occur to the appliance.


What does the warranty cover?

Parts that are not up to the mark

Sometimes in bulk manufacturing, damaged parts are made part of the appliance which halt the appliance performance. The HVAC manufacturer warranty covers all such bad parts whichever they are and replace the parts or the entire unit depending on the situation.

Issues in the assembly line

If the technician makes mistakes during assembling of the appliance parts, the warranty covers this kind of damage as well. The unit in this case is usually replaced with a new one.


What is not covered under HVAC warranty

- Whatever comes other than bad parts and improper assembly is excluded from the Manufacturer warranty. This include bad/unprofessional installation, no or insufficient maintenance and accidents like storms, fire hazards, vandalism and others.

- Faulty or improper fuel change from propane to gas or vice versa also results in failure. And when this happens, it a big no no.

- The claimed warranty is also rejected if the homeowners fails to show the documents of a professional installation.

- When the installed appliance is moved to another location; in case of changing homes, the appliance is no more covered.

- The warranty does not cover a unit whose parts have been self replaced by non branded parts

- Using unmatched equipment also results in voiding the warranty and the unit no more remains covered. Every unit has its own specifications and needs to be matched with the appliances they are supposed to work with. A 2-ton Air Conditioner with a 4-ton Air Handler will not make the right combination, will affect performance and may as well result in some damages.

- If the problem is due to bad installation and the parts are needed to be shipped to the installer, the warranty will not cover shipping cost as well.

- Last but not the least; please note that any kind of appliance parts that are bought online and replaced for the damaged appliance parts, void the warranty and such appliance does not remain covered anymore.

Did you know what is covered under warranty and what is not under HVAC warranties?
For any kind of HVAC help and queries, call 1-855-245-4328

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