Is Heat-Pump Maintenance More Difficult Than Caring For A Conventional System?

Tuscon homeowners often choose to install heat pumps to take care of their heating and cooling needs because they are so efficient. You might be wondering how difficult they are to maintain when compared to conventional HVAC systems. A unit that is properly maintained will consume 10-25 percent less energy than one without proper maintenance, meaning taking care of your unit is important.

Fortunately, maintenance isn’t hard. Here’s how to take care of a heat pump system.

Homeowner Maintenance

You can take care of the following regular maintenance items yourself.

• Air filters: Make sure to clean or replace these every two to six months, depending on how often you use your unit
• Outdoor coils: Clean these whenever they become visibly dirty
• Evaporator coil/condensate pan: Clean these parts every two to four years
• Blower fan blades: Check regularly to make sure these stay clean
• Supply and return registers: Like the blower fan blades, make sure these stay clean and straight
• Around the unit: Clear out any debris or plant life near the outdoor unit

Professional Maintenance

Even though some people don’t think professional maintenance is important, you should have a technician come look at your unit at least once a year. The technician will take care of the following:

• Inspecting the heat pump (including the ducts, filters, blower and coils) to make sure all parts are working properly
• Identifying and sealing duct leakage
• Making sure the unit is producing the proper airflow
• Checking refrigerant charge and looking for leaks
• Inspecting electric control, terminals and thermostat and ensuring proper operation
• Lubricating motors and making sure belts are in good working condition

As you can see, you can take care of regular heat-pump maintenance yourself, and you can have a professional take care of the rest during annual inspections. If you have any questions or want a professional to look at your unit, contact usat Rite-Way Ventilating Co.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Rite-Way Ventilating Co services Tucson, Marana, Catalina, Oro Valley, Vail, Sahuarita, Green Valley and Tubac, AZ. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!      

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