Tis the season for HVAC servicing. It's a busy time as residential customers are flooding you with calls to make sure their homes are ready for the long winter ahead. For many of your customers, this seasonal HVAC servicing covers their heating and cooling systems, to not only ensure their furnaces and boilers will be humming along during the winter, but to ensure their AC units are ready to rumble once summer (finally) rolls around again.
Here are some steps to include in your seasonal HVAC servicing for residential customers.
Clean the AC units. Leaves, debris, dust, dirt, pollen — you name it, if it floats in the air, it can end up in an AC unit. Now is the time to clean it all out. First, turn off the power to the AC unit at the fuse box. And leave that power off for the season. Your customers don't need it "vampiring" electricity and bumping up the bill. Remove all of the debris from inside the unit (a shop vac works great for this).
Should you cover it? This is the great debate among HVAC pros. Some people swear by covering AC units for the winter months to keep critters from making cozy nests inside. Others note that AC covers are waterproof (that's the point, after all) but that makes those covers unbreathable. If moisture gets in under the cover, you can be looking at a rust situation when spring comes. Some pros split the difference and recommend placing a plank or board on top of the unit. This prevents debris and snow from falling into it, but it won't do much about those squirrels.
Change the filters. It's a once-a-year task, and now's the time.
Clear the ductwork. Dust, pollen, leaves, particles, all of it can collect in the ducts. Again, pros differ on the best cleaning method. But a hand-held vac is a great tool for this job.
Seal ductwork. Cold air can seep in if the ductwork isn't sealed. Use masking or foil tape that's heat resistant to seal up any gaps. Talk to the homeowner about a more permanent solution, like caulking.
Test the thermostat. A trial run at heating by simply bumping up the thermostat will tell you a lot about how the heating unit is functioning. If your customers have older, manual thermostats, now is the time to talk to them about an upgrade.
Tune up the furnace. Doing this for your customers once a year will extend the life of their furnaces. Items on your furnace tuneup checklist should include:
- Check vents for blockages
- Test the pilot (if it's a gas unit)
- Look for corrosion on the heat exchanger
- Test and clean the blower
- Inspect electrical connections
- Change filters
- Look for evidence of pests
