What’s Included in an HVAC Tune-Up & Why Do I Need One
March 04,2024
Author admin Categories HVAC Tips

What’s Included in an HVAC Tune-Up & Why Do I Need One?

Your HVAC can stop working at any time as it is a machine and can need maintenance several times. Ensuring the right maintenance will increase the efficiency, safety, and reliability of your indoor air quality and the entire indoor air quality. Regular maintenance can lead your HVAC system to efficient, energy-saving, and result-driven equipment. In this way, your unit lifespan will also extend and reduce the risk of breakdowns. Having trouble with your HVAC tune-up can increase the chance of huge damages in your home, like an unhealthy indoor environment, insufficient air quality, and high energy bills.

Here is a complete guide about air conditioning maintenance and what factors are involved in this process that you need for your project.

What is an HVAC Tune-Up?

It is a service for your system by a professional technician. It can include cleaning or repairing several components and parts to ensure your heating, ventilation, and system is working accurately. The basic purpose of a tune-up is to extend the functionality or performance of the system by optimizing it. You can hire an expert technician to prevent high costs. Professionals recommend scheduling HVAC maintenance at least twice a year. Spring is best for colling and fall for heating systems.

Importance of HVAC Tune-Ups

HVAC tune-ups are important for the benefits of getting cool air, but they are also necessary for maintaining a balanced life in your air conditioning system. There are several reasons to schedule a check-up for your AC, such as dirt, dust, moisture, microbial growth, and other contaminations coming through the air and affecting the evaporator and condenser coil. You need to pay attention to properly cleaning your unit, or if left unchecked, it will lead to high energy bills, breakdown of component materials, decreased efficiency, short lifespan, and damage to your home. 

Additionally, annual tune-ups for the heating system and regular AC can save you time and money on repetitive overhauls. Maintaining both heating and cooling systems can help increase the efficiency and lifespan of the entire system. Here are some of the important points for HVAC tune-ups.

  • Improve Air Quality
  • Better Efficiency
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Warranty Maintenance
  • Fewer Repairs
  • Extended Lifespan of The AC Unit

Preparing for an HVAC tune-up:

When you find your air conditioner is not running as required, then it is crucial to check it with a qualified expert. There are many things to consider when preparing for an AC tune-up. Let’s discuss them!

Clear the Area: Clearing the area of both sides of your AC unit, both indoor and outdoor components, is necessary to ensure easy access. Removing any plants, furniture, or other belongings that might be hard rock in the way is best.

Clean Around the Units: Clear the dust, debris, or leaves around your unit to ensure a healthy environment. Cleaning the internal parts and keeping the surroundings clean can help you to secure your system a long way.

Check the Filters: Filters are the major parts of any unit, and if your filters are old or dirty, replace them immediately. It will help the technician to assess the system’s performance easily before any tune-up.

List Your Concerns: List any issues you have noticed during the DIY inspection or caring for regular maintenance. It can include unusual noises, odors, or water leaking. When the technician arrives, discuss these problems with the professional at the start of the project.

Be Available: Make sure to stay at home when you schedule an appointment and answer any questions from the technician to make the process fast and secure.

How Much Does an HVAC Tune-Up Cost?

An average tune-up costs between AED 699 and AED 825. It depends on the unit type, such as gas, electric, mini split, and water heater. The gas or oil furnace is AED 825, and the electric furnace is AED 699 but can be subject to change.

Regular checkups can increase the longevity of your cooling system and keep repair costs lower than irregular check-ups. 

How Long Does It Usually Take?

A tune-up can take a few hours to days depending on several factors, such as the kind of AC and its condition. Generally, a standard tune-up can proceed in 1 to 1.5 hours. But when your HVAC system requires complete repairs or any part needs replacement, it may increase the time of service.

Do I Have to Be Present for The Appointment?

Being present for the appointment is important when the technician team comes to your home. Answer the questions during the appointment and inspection of your home.

Would I Be Notified If Something Is Broken or Needs to be Repaired?

There are three fundamental phases: inspection, cleaning, and service. During the maintenance, it is noticeable that any part of your unit may need to be repaired or replaced. If detected during the inspection, it is best to ask your technician to change the dirty filters or evaporator coil. Here is a list of crucial HVAC issues to be repaired during a tune-up.

  • Dirty or Clogged Filters
  • Refrigerant Leaks 
  • Dirty Evaporator Coil
  • Faulty Thermostat
  • Electrical Issues
  • Condenser Issues

HVAC Tune-Up Checklist for Your Scheduled Appointment

A complete tune-up includes many tasks to ensure the heating system functions properly. Here’s a comprehensive checklist of tasks that are involved in the process of tune-up:

Inspect and replace air filters: While tuning your HVAC, the air filters’ condition will matter, as they can be dirty or out of lifespan. Clean air filters are the best option to maintain airflow and indoor air quality in your room or overall home. If the customer has air filters, then we will change them, and if we provide them, we will charge them.

Clean and inspect indoor and outdoor coils: Evaporator and condenser coils are essential to clean to remove dirt and debris. Clean the coils for improving heat exchange efficiency in your home.

Check refrigerant levels: Check the refrigerant level when you have any issue related to the unit; checking the amount of refrigerant and inspecting for any leaks can lead you to the exact problem and its solution.

Inspect and clean the blower assembly: Inspect and clean the blower assembly to ensure the proper airflow and system reliability.

Examine electrical connections and wiring: Handling electrical wiring is not a DIY task! But inspect all electrical connections that may be loose and ask for your technician to solve the issue when you notice the signs of wear and damaged electric components.

Test thermostat calibration and settings: The thermostat is the best component to maintain the temperature and provide readings. Ensure every part is functioning accurately and maintained if any setting is needed.

Lubricate moving parts: It is essential to lubricate moving parts such as motors, bearings, and other parts that need liquid material to perform as required, reduce friction, and save your HVAC component’s life.

Inspect and clean the condensate drain: Make sure that the condensate drain is not blocked or clear of blockages and works perfectly to reduce the chance of water damage or mold buildup.

Check safety controls and switches: Checking safety controls such as pressure switches, flame sensors, limit controls, and power options is the best way to ensure the right function and protection.

Evaluate system performance: Check the performance of your unit by measuring airflow, temperature rise, and system efficiency to determine the issues for improvement.

Inspect ductwork: Ductwork examination is the best option to check for leaks, mold buildup, and obstructions. This way, by examining timeously, you can ensure your system performance and indoor air quality to tune up on time.

For combustion heating systems (furnaces, boilers): Check the burner components, heat exchanger, gas connections, and flue system to determine the signs of corrosion or damage. Also, inspect for combustion and venting to make your system safe and operational all year round.

For heat pumps: Inspect the defrosting and reversing valve cycle to ensure they function correctly in their paths for heat pumps.

Listen for unusual noises: The system may not indicate an issue, but the noises can be overwhelming, and it is a good sign to care about your AC. Identify the unusual sounds and check the components for better working.

Review findings and recommendations: When completing the maintenance tasks, the expert should provide a comprehensive list of findings and recommendations necessary to boost your system’s functionality.

Benefits of an HVAC Tune-Up

The HVAC requires tune-ups from time to time, and the advantages of regular check-ups are important to maintain your system and ensure it is functioning appropriately. Suppose you identify the common issues in time and repair them quickly. In that case, you can prevent huge damages and save money and time with several other benefits:

  • Improved energy efficiency
  • Improved indoor air quality
  • Extended energy efficiency
  • Reduced repair costs
  • Enhanced comfort
  • Safety
  • Warranty compliance
  • Fewer carbon emissions

Additionally, the benefits of tune-ups are significant. They can be gotten by proper care and regular maintenance at least twice a year in general and at least every 1 to 3 months for little changes like the replacement of filters.

Cost Savings and Energy Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy has shown the result of a study. According to the department, HVAC Tune-up can save up to 15% of your electricity bills. Having a system that is well maintained can save bills and secure the overall cost of new components and the it’s credibility.

What Happens If I Never Get an HVAC Tune-Up?

Forgetting regular checkups can decrease efficiency, reduce comfort, poor indoor air quality, increase repair costs, and shorten unit lifespan. Think about it: if you come to your home or room with a tired schedule and a hot summer day, your air conditioning system encourages you to continue working, and you will lose patience. You can call FixWell for emergency HVAC repairs to get relief instantly in case of any hot season malfunctioning of the cooling unit. The technician will come and fix the problem.

When you neglect cleaning or to maintain it for years, it will become home to dust, debris, and mold buildup, leading to high costs. A stopped air conditioning system can show you clogged filters, refrigerant leaks, and jammed fan motors. The lack of maintenance will cause huge damage to your unit, and you will spend more money on replacing parts or overall equipment after some time. The cost will be higher than regular.

Frequency of HVAC Tune-Ups

The frequency of HVAC tune-ups is based on several factors, such as the type of system, environmental aspects, and other malfunctions. The professional recommends scheduling a tune-up every six months or once a year. Older systems require more frequent checkups to perform their best.

How Often Should I Schedule an HVAC Tune-Up?

The answer to this question is simple and we have mentioned some of the points below to schedule your HVAC tune-up as described.

For air conditioning systems: Air conditioning systems must be tuned up at least once a year. The summer is the season when they perform and workmanship may be busy, so it is best to schedule your AC unit’s tune-up in the spring. 

For heating systems (furnaces, boilers, heat pumps): The most arising question is when to schedule tune-ups for heating systems. It is best to call an expert at the very start of the fall season and before starting the heating season. The furnace, boilers, and heat pumps are the components of your heating appliance.

For combined heating and cooling systems (such as heat pumps), when it comes to heating and cooling systems, you have to schedule tune-up or maintenance twice a year–once in the fall for the heating, and in the spring for cooling efficiencies.

HVAC Tune-ups in Dubai

A functioning system is essential for home comfort by maintaining indoor air quality. No matter the summer or warm season, the unit is designed to help you in both kinds of weather. And with a well-maintained air conditioning system gives you a smooth, sound environment inside your living spaces. Without professional help, you can make mistakes in DIY tasks. It is crucial to hire a specialist for HVAC service in Dubai.

FixWell offers a range of solutions to help you maintain your lifestyle without any hassle. Our experienced technicians and heating specialists do all the tasks quickly without getting extra or hidden charges. If you are thinking of cleaning your air filters or changing the components of your system.

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