What To Expect During Your Annual Heating And AC Repair And Servicing | Dallas, TX

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Spring is already here in Dallas, TX, and as the temperatures slowly rise it will be time to think about heating and AC repair. It is never safe to assume that just because your AC system worked last year it will work this year. Have you turned it on yet? You may be in for a surprise. However, even if your AC system kicks on you should still consider scheduling your annual maintenance visit because you never know what is lurking inside of it and you don’t want to find out on a hot summer day when it decides to kick off on you.

We highly recommend annual heating and AC repair maintenance visits to ensure that you don’t have a breakdown looming in your future. Heating and AC repair maintenance only takes a few hours and is the best way to check that everything inside of your HVAC system is performing as it should. There may be weak components inside that are damaged or corroding just waiting to break completely, but until someone takes a look you won’t know. Proactively making repairs is the best way to extend the lifespan of your HVAC system and save money and stress in the process.

How Does An Annual HVAC Maintenance Call Work?

If you have never scheduled HVAC maintenance it is not too late. It is also better to call and schedule versus dealing with emergency repair down the line in Dallas, TX. In order to get started all you have to do is call your local Dallas, TX HVAC company and ask them for an annual maintenance visit. They may ask you a few basic questions such as how old is your HVAC system and who is the manufacturer. If you don’t know these details, don’t sweat it because the technician can figure it out when they come to your home as well.

How Long Does HVAC Maintenance Take?

A lot of homeowners are concerned with how long the overall process will take, but in most cases, it only takes two to four hours. How long it takes is usually determined by how regularly you keep up with heating and AC servicing and how large your home is. A larger home will usually require a larger system and have more ductwork to inspect. An HVAC system that has never been routinely serviced will likely need more dust and grime cleaned out of it compared to one that is annually serviced. Once the HVAC arrives at your home you can always ask him or her for a closer estimate, but in general, you should be looking at two to four hours unless the technician spots the need for heating and AC repair and has the parts to take care of it during the same visit.

What Happens During an HVAC Service Visit?

Still on the fence about whether you need to have an HVAC service visit this summer? Well, think of it this way. Would you rather pay a small amount now and enjoy relaxing in the cool air in your home all summer, or pay a lot later for emergency repair and deal with living conditions that are practically unlivable while you wait for a repair. The simple truth is that servicing is the best way to prevent the most major issues that could leave you stuck with a broken system.

Sometimes it is easier to see how important an annual service call is once you understand what actually happens during the visit. While the steps followed may vary based on each individual Dallas, TX HVAC company, the following is the general process that most techs will follow when they arrive at a home for an HVAC service visit. The aim of the visit is to clean out your entire system and look for any parts that may require heating and AC repair down the road.

Part 1- Furnace Inspection

The first part of your heating and AC service call is furnace inspection. This will focus primarily on the furnace component of your HVAC system although there is some overlap obviously. The tech will start by replacing your air filter if it needs it. Some companies won’t offer this while others will, but this is a great opportunity, either way, to learn how to replace your own air filter if you don’t already know. In order to avoid clogs and other issues that require heating and AC repair, you should replace your air filter about four times a year. The start of a new season is a great way to remember it is time to change your air filter. Ask your HVAC technician to show you how to replace the air filter if you don’t already know.

Next, the technician will take a close look at your thermostat to make sure that it is working properly. This includes looking at the physical thermostat and also inspecting the electrical wires that lead to it that are physically visible to ensure that everything is stable and there is no visible damage. If the tech notices that the thermostat is not synched properly with your HVAC system they will calibrate it which takes just a few minutes and can actually save you a lot of money on your heating and cooling bills.

Now the HVAC tech will head back to the system and take a close look at all connections. They are looking to see if any fixtures or connections have loosened over time. Sometimes simply tightening them is all it takes to avoid heating and AC repair down the line, so it’s worth it to have these inspected. While in the actual system he will also measure the power voltage to make sure the HVAC system is properly accessing and utilizing energy in your home and will apply lubrication to any moving parts. The lubrication is another vital part of the service visit because a well-oiled machine is less likely to have damage from continual grinding and movement which also helps prevent a lot of standard heating and AC repair issues.

Finally, the tech will look at the system controls and ensure that everything is working in sync properly the way that it should be. At the end of the visit the tech will give you a list of any potential heating and AC repairs they noted during the inspection and will quote you a price for the repairs. Depending on what the tech noticed is wrong, they may be able to complete the repair during the same visit if you are ready.

Other times they may need to order parts so you will have to schedule a separate heating and AC repair visit. As a courtesy though, they will probably waive the standard visit fee and just charge for repairs since you already used them for the service call. Keep in mind that you may have to wait two to five days for the ordered components to come in, but it is much better to wait while your system is still functional than to find yourself without heat or AC waiting for two to five days.

Part 2- AC Inspection

Now it is time for the AC inspection, which involves both inside and outside of your home since your AC is made up of two components: the condenser and the evaporator. They will usually start outside of your home, but once again this order can be switched depending on what company the heating and AC repair tech is from. It is really just a matter of preference for the tech and doesn’t really matter which order the components are checked so long as both are thoroughly inspected.

Starting with the condenser, the technician will carefully look over the condenser coil looking for any problems, corrosion, or signs of rust. They will remove any debris or grime they see around the condenser coils and then clean it with highly pressurized water and possibly a cleaning solution if it hasn’t been cleaned in a long time and looks grimey.

After the coils are cleaned, the technician will assess the area around the coils and the box to make sure that everything is clean and clear of debris. Leaves, grass, and sticks commonly build up inside of the box and it is best to remove everything so that you don’t have to worry about something falling into the blades causing damage and leading to heating and AC repair in Dallas, TX down the line.

Now they will check the thermostat, which they may have already done as part of the furnace inspection at the same time, or may do it separately. The tech will likely turn on the system for five to ten minutes to ensure that the AC is capable of reaching a low temperature. They can do this even during the winter months by simply turning down the temperatures and turning on the AC briefly to make sure it is capable of cooling.

Next, they will take a wet bulb reading to make sure that everything within your system is working properly. They will also probably take a look at your air vents while the system is running to ensure that the air coming out of our vents is cool and properly dispersing. Decreased airflow is a significant problem so your tech will be paying attention to this to ensure it is not the case so that you don’t have to pay for separate heating and AC repair down the road.

At this point, the process is almost done, but the tech will have to take care of a few more basic tasks. He or she will look at the refrigerant to make sure that it is at an appropriate level and the sub-cooling. They will then test the motor amperage to ensure that the motor is consuming the appropriate amount of energy based on the standards set by the manufacturer. If they find that the energy level is too high, they may take a closer look at the motor to see what can be done to help restore its efficiency. Sometimes if a system is old there isn’t too much that can be done, but for a newer system, proper lubrication and healthy components can make a huge difference.

Just like with the furnace inspection, at the end of the AC inspection if the tech sees any problems that require heating and AC repair at the end of the visit they will discuss what they found and how much heating and AC repair would cost. Once again, they may offer to take care of the heating and AC repair tasks during the same visit if they can, otherwise, they will set up a later date to come back and make the repairs that work for you.

We know that no one wants to spend money that they don’t have to, but if an HVAC technician in Dallas, TX recommends heating and AC repair during an inspection visit it is a good idea to heed their advice. While you may be able to get away without it for a bit, eventually ignoring heating and AC repair will come back to bite you since you the system will fail at some point. You don’t want to be stranded without heat and air, and the entire purpose of your service call is to prevent that.

With this in mind, if you haven’t scheduled an annual service call or are in need of heating and AC repair it is time to give One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas a call. We will happily work with you to ensure that your AC system is ready to tackle the hot summer that is on its way.