In this article…
- 6 Reasons Why You Should Invest In HVAC Maintenance Early On
- How Often Does My HVAC System Need Maintenance?
- Why Does My New HVAC System Need Maintenance and Repairs?
- Maintaining Your HVAC Unit To Ensure Efficiency and Longevity
When you invest in a new HVAC system, it’s typical to assume that everything will run smoothly for years without needing much attention.
However, even brand-new systems require maintenance early on to ensure your system continues to work properly and keep your home cool. Skipping this crucial step can lead to long-term and costly issues.
Preventative maintenance is the best way to increase the lifespan of your system and ensure its efficiency.
But, on the flip side, you may have needed frequent repairs on your newer system and wonder…why? Do I have a lemon?
At Wright Home Services, we’re here to provide you with high-quality HVAC products and services, and we’ve been doing it since 1979.
We’re never going to upsell you on a product, service, or maintenance plan if you don’t truly need (or want) them. We want to educate you on why investing in routine maintenance can save you money in the long run.
We also want to answer your questions regarding why you’ve needed multiple repairs or parts replaced on your new system and what the reasoning is.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of preventative, routine maintenance and the most common reasons why your new system needs repairs so soon.
6 Reasons Why You Should Invest In HVAC Maintenance Early On
Caring for your HVAC system is just like caring for your car. You get a yearly inspection, a 6-month oil change, and check to refill the antifreeze and wiper fluid.
With your HVAC unit, routine inspections and check-ups are essential to ensure the health and longevity of your system, even if you recently replaced your old HVAC system just a few years ago.
Let’s look at six benefits of maintaining your HVAC system early on.
1. Setting the Foundation for Longevity
Your new HVAC system is a significant investment, and maintaining it early on ensures that you’re getting the most out of that investment.
Regular maintenance helps keep the system running smoothly, ensuring that all components are functioning as they should. By addressing small issues early, you can prevent major repairs or early replacements.
A properly maintained system is more likely to last its full expected lifespan, saving you money in the long run.
2. Maximizing Energy Efficiency
A new system is designed to be more energy-efficient than older models, but that doesn’t mean it will run efficiently without proper, routine care.
During maintenance, technicians ensure that the system is running at peak performance. When components like filters, coils, and airflow are cleaned and adjusted, the system works less hard to cool or heat your home, saving you money on your utility bills.
Neglecting maintenance early on can cause your new system to waste energy, reducing its efficiency and increasing your energy costs.
3. Warranty Protection
Many HVAC manufacturers require regular maintenance to honor their warranties. Skipping your system’s first maintenance check could potentially void the warranty, leaving you stuck with costly repairs the warranty otherwise would have covered.
Even if the system is new, it’s important to follow the recommended service schedule to avoid issues down the road. Early maintenance helps ensure that your warranty remains valid, so you’re protected if something goes wrong with your system.
4. Avoiding Future Costly Repairs
While a new HVAC system should be relatively trouble-free, minor issues can still pop up. Regular maintenance helps catch small problems before they become larger, more expensive issues.
For example, a dirty filter or low refrigerant levels can lead to poor performance and early wear, ultimately causing the system to fail. By catching these issues during maintenance, you can save yourself from the inconvenience and expense of major repairs down the line.
5. Ensuring The Best Indoor Air Quality
HVAC systems play a significant role in your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). During maintenance, the technician will clean the filters, check for airflow issues, and ensure the system is circulating air efficiently.
If maintenance is skipped, your new system might end up circulating dust, allergens, and other pollutants that can negatively impact the air quality in your home. Clogged air filters will also make your system work harder for the desired result, wearing on parts faster.
Regular maintenance ensures that your home stays healthy, clean, and comfortable.
6. Preventing System Failures
Even new systems are prone to breakdowns if they aren’t properly maintained. Smaller issues like refrigerant leaks, poor airflow, or electrical problems can turn into costly and inconvenient system failures if they’re not addressed early.
Early maintenance ensures that your system is fully inspected, reducing the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns. This is particularly important if your system is being used during extreme temperatures when you need it the most.
How Often Does My HVAC System Need Maintenance?
After understanding the benefits of regularly maintaining your HVAC system, the next thing you want to know is exactly how often you should be servicing your system.
There are several maintenance tasks you can perform yourself, such as replacing the air filters and cleaning the drain line.
For replacing your air filters, follow these timelines for your filter type:
- 1-inch filters: Replace every 30-60 days
- 2-inch filters: Replace every 60-90 days
- Media filters: Check and replace every 6-12 months
How often you need to replace your filters also depends on a variety of factors. For example, if you have a larger family and multiple pets, your filters may need to be replaced more often due to the excess dust, dirt, dander, and pet hair circulating throughout your home.
For a full maintenance check, Wright Home Services recommends having a system tune-up every six months – once before the summer and once before the winter. This way you can ensure your system is in prime shape before it gets too hot or too cold.
Many high-quality HVAC companies will offer maintenance plans for newly installed systems.
For example, at Wright Home Services, our 10-year warranty comes with 10 years of coverage for parts, labor, and maintenance, so your system is covered for the next decade.
Read more about our 10-year warranty here!
Why Does My New HVAC System Need Maintenance and Repairs?
Staying on top of your system’s maintenance will help prevent serious issues down the line and keep your system running efficiently. However, there are several reasons why you may need maintenance on your new HVAC system sooner than expected.
It could be due to poor installation, faulty equipment, or other factors that could impact the system’s performance.
Here are some common reasons why your system needs maintenance even after it was freshly installed.
1. Poor or Improper Installation
The quality of installation for your new HVAC system is just as important as the quality of the product. Even if you choose the highest-rated HVAC system on the market, if it is not installed properly, problems will occur.
Improper sizing, faulty ductwork connections, and electrical issues can lead to inefficiency and early system failures. If your system isn’t installed correctly, it could lead to performance issues, wasted energy, and costly repairs, leading you to need repairs shortly after installation.
2. Faulty Equipment or Manufacturing Defects
Even the best manufacturers can produce faulty components or lemons, and sometimes new systems come with defective parts. Issues such as malfunctioning motors, compressors, or fans can lead to early breakdowns if not addressed.
Replacing these parts early on and maintaining your system ensures that these defects are caught before they lead to bigger problems, helping to protect your investment.
3. Lack of Proper System Testing After Installation
After installation, HVAC systems should be tested to ensure all components were installed correctly and working properly. However, not all systems are thoroughly checked before being turned on.
If your system wasn’t properly tested for leaks, refrigerant levels, or airflow issues, these problems could go unnoticed, leading to inefficiency or even damage.
A maintenance check following installation is proper practice and will confirm that the system was installed and calibrated correctly, ensuring it’s running as it should.
4. Debris or Damage During Installation
Along with improper installation, if your new HVAC system was exposed to dust, dirt, or other debris during installation, it could lead to problems like clogged filters or restricted airflow.
Additionally, sometimes new systems suffer minor damage during transport or installation, which can cause immediate operational issues. This could be a reason why you need maintenance following your new system’s installation.
5. Inadequate Maintenance During the First Year
Skipping the first maintenance check is one of the most common mistakes homeowners make with their newly installed HVAC systems. Many think that new systems don’t need attention until much later, but that first check is essential for ensuring everything is functioning properly.
If maintenance is missed, minor problems can escalate into major issues that could shorten the life of the system.
Checking your system regularly, even within its first year of operation, will ensure you catch any problems early on, your warranty is protected, you maintain the efficiency of your system, and you increase its lifespan.
Maintaining Your HVAC Unit To Ensure Efficiency and Longevity
Now you know six reasons why you shouldn’t neglect maintaining your new HVAC system, how often maintenance is required, and some common reasons why your new system needs maintenance early on.
Even if your HVAC system is brand new, regular maintenance is essential to keep it running at its best.
Early maintenance helps maximize energy efficiency, protect your warranty, prevent costly repairs, and ensure your system lasts for years to come.
However, if your new system seems to be causing you problem after problem, the cause may be due to improper installation, defective parts, lack of testing after installation, or damage to the system during installation.
Whether your new system was installed or maintained by us or not, Wright Home Services is here to provide you with all the information you need to know when it comes to your project.
Because HVAC repairs and system replacements don’t come cheap, we want you to understand not only why things cost the way they do, but why staying on top of your system’s maintenance and repairs is important.
By staying on top of maintenance, you can avoid common issues that arise due to poor installation, faulty equipment, or lack of testing.
To better help you maintain your HVAC system, check out this article that outlines seven crucial tips to maintain your unit and help prevent a potential shutoff, whether it’s during the heat of the summer or cooler winter temps.
Looking to schedule your system’s annual maintenance? Contact Wright Home Services today to get your maintenance in the books and ensure you stay comfortable!
