Maintaining and Servicing

Heat-pump performance will deteriorate without regular maintenance and service. The difference between the energy consumption of a well-maintained heat pump and a severely neglected one ranges from 10 to 25 percent.

Regular Maintenance

• Clean or replace filters regularly (every 2 to 6 months, depending on operating time and amount of dust in the environment).
• Clean outdoor coils as often as necessary (when dirt is visible on the outside of the coil).
• Remove plant life and debris from around the outdoor unit.
• Clean evaporator coil and condensate pan every 2 to 4 years.
• Clean the blower’s fan blades.
• Clean supply and return registers and straighten their fins.

Professional Service

• Inspect ducts, filters, blower, and indoor coil for dirt and other obstructions.
• Diagnose and seal duct leakage.
• Verify adequate airflow by measurement.
• Verify correct refrigerant charge by measurement.
• Check for refrigerant leaks.
• Inspect electric terminals, and if necessary, clean and tighten connections, and apply nonconductive coating.
• Lubricate motors, and inspect belts for tightness and wear.
• Verify correct electric control, making sure that heating is locked out when the thermostat calls for cooling and vice versa. Verify correct thermostat operation.

considerations are to be taken into account if you want to have your ducts to be cleaned.

Checking the breathing conditions in your house as the first step. A great way to test the indoor breathing conditions of your home is to step outside and breath the clean

outdoor air for a while. When you step back indoors try to focus on how clean the indoor air seems. If it seems dusty or stale, then that could be the first sign. In most cases the indoor air will seem less fresh than the outdoor air, if it seems there is a noticeable difference, than your ducts may be in need for a cleaning.

If you have animals like dogs or cats in your house then your air ducts may need to be cleaned more frequently. Animals shed skin and hair at a rate nearly double that of humans, therefore causing buildup in your ducts much faster. Animal dander is one of the main allergens to humans, therefore you will definitely want to keep it out of circulation.

The number of people in your home is also a major factor. Skin cells are the number one element for household dust so the more people there are in your house the more skin and hair in the ducts there will be. If your ducts are in the floor, then there will also be buildup from sources such as dirt from shoes, crumbs, wrappers and lots of others.