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Is Your Home Warranty Void?? HVAC Edition!

Is your HVAC system properly Maintained? If you are not doing the proper maintenance your warranty may be VOID!!


HVAC SYSTEM TYPES


 As  promised, the next edition of our blog is here with tips and tricks to help you make sure your NEW HOME WARRANTY doesn't get voided!

As we mentioned, your furnace and AC are vital components to your home working properly as a system, and they do require regular maintenance. Since we cannot possibly list every type of heating system available, we are going to focus on the most common type, a natural gas/propane forced air furnace. If you have other types of heating or cooling installed, you will have to focus on your manual and some other resources. below we have listed links to several other types of heating and cooling systems:





If you have a traditional forced air furnace, and air conditioner, below we have listed some of the primary maintenance that must be done. Again, not to harp on the subject, but you MUST refer to your owners manual to make sure you are following any specific requirements for your appliance!!

Furnace and Air Conditioner - 
Let me start by saying that each and every furnace is a bit different in their maintenance schedules, so there is no substitute for reading the manual! As you will see, this is the first place we refer you to for nearly every appliance.

The single most important maintenance item on any furnace is maintaining the filter. There are a wide variety of filters on the market; make sure the filter you choose is compatible with your furnace. This information should be available in the users manual, and you will look for the MERV Rating. Below is a chart, and a short video explaining how these ratings work.


While you may be tempted to buy the filter that removes the MOST amount of dust, and the has the smallest filtration size, the filter must allow the proper amount of air volume through it for your furnace. A filter that is too restrictive can cause your furnace to work much harder than it is designed, causing it to be inefficient, and potentially to wear out sooner, and most importantly, it can VOID your warranty!

Cleaning your unit is the next regular maintenance typically required for your furnace and AC unit. This is also a procedure that is somewhat specific to each brand and model. There are, however, typically 2 areas you need to clean: inside the furnace unit, and the AC condenser that sits outside. Below are some linked videos that show the typical methods to clean these. Again, ALWAYS refer to your owners manual! And ALWAYS be sure to disconnect power!

Cleaning and Maintaining a Furnace

Cleaning an AC condenser

Note: While these are the major maintenance requirements of most manufacturers, they are not meant to be all inclusive. You must read your owners manual to make sure you are doing ALL required maintenance for your furnace. It is also recommended by most manufactures to have your duct work cleaned professionally every few years, especially if you have had renovations, or have mold issues in your home.

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