Most people have a reactive maintenance routine for their appliances: They don’t take care of an appliance until there’s a problem. Preventative maintenance plans make it easy to keep up with a regular schedule of cleaning and care, something that’s particularly essential for your HVAC system. You don’t want it to die at the worst time, nor do you want to get saddled with a costly repair bill that you can’t afford. Buying into a plan saves you a houseful of hassles.
It Increases the Life of Your HVAC Unit
An HVAC unit that never receives the care it needs will inevitably die an untimely death, likely at the most inopportune time possible. Do you let your car go for years without a tune-up? How long do you go between oil changes? Your HVAC system is just as much of an investment as your car. It’s just easier to take for granted the comfortable temperatures in your home.
Putting together a preventative maintenance plan stretches out the lifespan of your system. The Environmental Protection Agency advises that most furnaces only last about 15 years, while air conditioning units and heat pumps have a lifespan of 10 years or so. Shave off a few more years if you live in a climate with brutal summers or freezing winters. Routine maintenance can keep your HVAC system running strong for longer, which saves money in the long run.
Regular Maintenance Improves Efficiency
It’s no surprise that routine appointments with a service tech have a positive effect on the efficiency of your unit. Systems that aren’t properly maintained end up working harder to heat or cool your home. No wonder they run down quickly. However, preventative maintenance ensures that your unit is running at peak performance. Moreover, you have the freedom to schedule an appointment when it’s most convenient, so you’re not dealing with A/C maintenance during a 100-degree day.
It Gives You a Timeline
Your HVAC tech will know your system inside and out within a year of starting your maintenance plan. As time goes by, your service tech will learn to speak the language of your HVAC unit. That sounds silly — until your tech lets you know that your system only has about two or three years left. That gives you a head start to begin saving up for a replacement, meaning that you aren’t hit with a huge purchase out of nowhere.
You Save Money
Regardless of the cost, a preventative plan pays for itself over time. HVAC units that suffer from neglect are money-suckers. You constantly payout for repairs as well as catch-up maintenance. A planned routine takes care of problems before they become serious. You deal with fewer surprises because your system is always running smoothly.
Have you ever had a heating and cooling system go belly up at an inopportune time? It’s exasperating, expensive, and frustrating; plus, it always seems to happen in the middle of winter or at the height of the hottest summer on record. Is it Murphy’s Law or lazy maintenance?
