HVAC

Why Do You Need Grand Rapids Michigan HVAC Service Every Year?

When your HVAC unit stops working it usually happens at the worst possible time. When it’s extremely cold out or when you have your air conditioner going at full blast on those hot Grand Rapids Michigan days is usually when it comes to a grinding halt. When this happens, it could take a few days to get the parts needed to fix the unit and to get a service technician out to check it. But, the question is, could this have been avoided all together just by getting a Grand Rapids Michigan HVAC service for your home and unit. I’ll go over some of the things that the technician will check when they do a annual service for an HVAC unit in Grand Rapids Michigan.

Why Do You Need Grand Rapids Michigan HVAC Service Every Year?

I’m sure you’ve heard offers and advertisements trying to get you to sign up for annual HVAC service in your area. Usually these offers are for a technician to come to your home and inspect your HVAC unit and check critical systems in order to locate potential problems before they cause the unit to stop working completely. These service agreements can be different prices depending on how deep they go into the system. I’ve listed some of the things that are a must for your system if you live in Grand Rapids and want the best Grand Rapids Michigan HVAC service.

Cleaning of Air Ducts in the HVAC System

The air ducts in your home carry heat and cool throughout the home. Since so much air flows through the air ducts in your home it’s likely an area that allows for dust to build up. Since so much air passes through the ducts the dust can build up rapidly. Most Grand Rapids HVAC service will include duct cleaning as part of their annual service.

By getting your air ducts cleaned the air has a better channel to flow and doesn’t produce as much drag in the air duct. Sometimes dust can even clog some registers in the home causing different rooms to become too hot or cold. Registers are likely cleaned during duct cleaning as well.

Cleaning Aluminum Coils on Interior and Exterior HVAC Units

Depending on what type of HVAC unit you have, you may have coils on the interior and exterior of your home. Both of these coils will need cleaning annually. Just like with air ducts I mentioned above, having your coils cleaned makes for much better air flow through the system. Which in turns can make the unit more productive and energy efficient.

In a perfect world, the air filter should catch all the dust and debris entering the system. However, most air filters are usually changed each month, and the coils are cleaned annually. Consider how much dust builds up on the air filter in a month and then you’ll get an idea of how much dust and debris can build up in the coils.

For exterior coils, things like leaves and grass can stop the unit from functioning properly. During a Grand Rapids HVAC service inspection the technician will clean both the interior unit of dust and debris. But also, the exterior unit is cleaned as well removing any leaves or other debris from the unit.

Checking Electrical Usage of Components

There are several components inside your HVAC unit that uses electrical power. Components like fan motors and compressors are designed to use a specific amount of power. Many times, when a component starts to fail they may use more energy. This is especially true for fan motors that have bearing that are deteriorating. A technician will check the energy usage of these components and advise what you should do next. Sometimes components can be cleaned or greased to return to normal operation. They may also advise you to replace the component also. It’s much better to replace it when you’re still comfortable in your home rather than to need to replace it at 2AM on a Saturday.

Checking the Level of Freon in the System

A big misconception that most people have about the freon or “gas” in their unit is that it runs out. If your HVAC unit is properly sealed it should never need freon added. It’s not like a car, it will not run out and the freon that flows through the system doesn’t burn off. Having a technician check the level is important however when getting Grand Rapids Michigan HVAC service because you may have a micro-leak. Let them also run a leak check if it’s low in freon.