Central Heating Maintenance
Why is Central Heating Maintenance Important?
It is ideal to be able to turn on our central heating and air units and have them give us the exact temperatures we want, all day, every day. Fortunately most of the time this is just the case. What may be harder to tell is whether or not your HVAC unit us running efficiently. It may be on and putting out the hot or cold air that you desire but is it possible it may be working too hard?
What is HVAC?
Try to think of the HVAC unit as a car. It will have a motor and run off some type of energy. In the very same way your car requires new oil, spark plugs or recharges or new batteries, the HVAC motors can also need the same attention and care to run effectively and efficiently.
How Long Should My Central Heating Unit Last with Proper Maintenance?
With the correct preventative maintenance a new central heating unit should last from twelve to fifteen years. Some can even last much longer. With your central air or even window units it is very important to have routine yearly maintenance performed on them, but also to utilize other features that can make your central heating run much better. Following are some maintenance tips and tricks that will keep your unit from overworking and reducing its overall lifetime.
Check for leaks
Make sure it is draining as it should
Check hose connections for cracks or leaks
Be sure he condensate tube is also able to drain freely
Change your filter every four to six weeks.
If you have someone in your home who suffers from allergies, having a clean filter can make a lot of difference. Additionally there are now hypoallergenic filters that can help pull more of the dander and other allergens from the air more effectively, but only on a properly running system.
Additionally you will need to clean off the outside air compressor regularly. Using cool water from a garden hose is a good method. And remember to keep anything away from the compressor that can prohibit the free flow of air.
You should also have your ductwork professionally cleaned every three to five years. This will not only enable you to breath better in your home, but will also reduce the dust in your home as well. This can be particularly helpful if you have hardwood floors where dust bunnies can gather. And if you need further help, TS Heating can help you with any questions you may have about central heating maintenance.
Sean Hammond recommends Central Heating Birmingham. We are experts in central heating.
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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_E_Hammond
Heating Maintenance – Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are nowadays the most efficient heating systems since they warms a house in winter as well as cools it during summer. This is one main reason why people generally installing them at home and workplace. It is easy to operate and effective in doing its work. It uses electricity as its power source. It is known for its energy-efficient operation. Just by a mere flip of a switch homeowners can reverse the role of a heat pump from being used for warming to cooling. It can be installed in all types of building and hence is regarded one of the most sought home heating systems.
However, for a long-term proper functioning system, you should perform regular maintenance of your heat pump. Therefore, you should either do the maintenance by yourself or with the help of professionals. Maintenance of this system is not that complicated and can be done with ease if you have the basic knowledge of the same. Here are some basic heating maintenance tips which will help you keep the system fit as a fiddle at all times.
Heating systems consists mainly of two units, outdoor unit and the indoor unit. You can maintain these units separately. Accordingly, here are the maintenance steps.
Outdoor Unit
Before performing this heating service, make sure that you turn the mains off and that the main wire is unplugged. This is for you safety while the task is being carried out. First, remove any type of blockage in the form of weeds, papers or leaves from in and around of the outdoor unit. Remove the casing and clean the fins using fin combs or brush making sure that no fin is damaged in the process. Now, check the coil, if dirt and grime are accumulated on it, clean it using the brush. If that doesn’t help, use cleansing agent and clean it and allow it to dry.
To proceed, check the heat exchange fan for any looseness in the blades or fan axle and fix it. Lubricate the fan axle or the motor in order to limit noise. If is however suggested that you should replace the fan blades if they are found bent. Bent fan blades are hard to correct and affects the operation of the heat pump.
Indoor Unit
To detect defects in the system, regular heating troubleshooting is needed. Even smallest of small problems should not be ignored since small problems can accumulate and give rise to a bigger problem.
Maintenance of indoor unit of a heat pump mainly consist of cleaning the air filters. To do this, you should have to remove the panel of the indoor unit. Make sure you properly unscrew all screws and place them somewhere you will not lose them. Behind the panel, you will come across two filters the first one is of mesh type and the other is a smaller with fine pores. Remove both the filters check for any accumulation of dirt and grime and clean it using an appropriate cleansing agent (diluted vinegar is recommended). Dry them and replace them. Reinstall the panels and your filter cleaning is done.
Perform the above maintenance steps for perfectly functioning heat pumps or home heating systems.
Jirran Will is a consultant, sustainable investor and writer and graduated from Cambridge University London,UK.He is also the author of numerous articles on Heating Services [http://www.heating-pros.com/]
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jirran_Will
