Northern California summers are hot and dry, so don’t wait until the first 90° day to get your HVAC system ready. With the region’s hot summers and chilly winters, it is essential for homeowners to be proactive about their pre-season service visits. To make caring for your heating and cooling system a little easier, we’ve compiled the best HVAC maintenance checklist for the Sacramento and Rancho Cordova area.
Why Seasonal HVAC Maintenance Matters
At Fox Family Heating & Air, we understand California’s climate. Because of this, we can recommend the best California seasonal HVAC care for your system. Heat-related stress on your HVAC components and wildfire smoke can negatively impact your HVAC system. Through consistent seasonal HVAC maintenance, you can achieve a few important benefits.
- Improve Energy Efficiency: When your system is cared for, it doesn’t have to work as hard to reach the same temperature level. Besides increasing your performance and energy efficiency, routine HVAC maintenance can also lead to lower utility bills each month.
- Avoid Costly Breakdowns: Most HVAC failures don’t happen without some type of prior warning, such as inexplicably high energy bills or unusual noises. By addressing minor repairs and maintenance issues early, you can prevent issues from escalating into expensive breakdowns.
- Extend Equipment Lifespan: In the long run, your HVAC checklist for California homes can prevent unnecessary wear on your unit and extend your equipment’s lifespan.
- Boost Indoor Air Quality: When HVAC filters and components get dirty, that debris can get into your home’s air supply. By performing timely filter replacements and cleaning your HVAC unit, you can improve the air your family breathes.
- Fulfill Your Warranty Requirements: While HVAC warranties often last for years, there are typically rules about your HVAC service schedule. To keep your warranty in place, you must schedule professional HVAC maintenance and remember to perform routine maintenance on your own as well.
Spring HVAC Maintenance Checklist
With the best Sacramento area HVAC service, you can make sure your home is ready for the cooling season.
Clean or Replace Your Air Filters
Air filters keep dirt and debris out of your HVAC system, ensuring better energy efficiency and a higher performance level. Ideally, your air filters should be cleaned or replaced every 30 to 60 days. During periods of peak usage, you may need to change them more frequently.
Inspect Your Outdoor Condenser Unit
Inspect your outdoor condenser unit for signs of damage. Use the disconnect box to turn off the condenser unit. To be safe, you should also turn your HVAC system off at your thermostat as well.
Then, you can remove debris and dirt that are on the condenser unit. You can open the top of the unit and remove any leaves that have gotten trapped inside. With a specially designed cleaner and your garden hose, gently wash off the fins. Replace the top of the unit and turn everything back on.
Remove Debris Around the Outdoor Unit
Throughout the summer, you should clear away any plants that are around your outdoor unit. You should have 2 to 3 feet of clearance around the unit to prevent debris from getting inside your HVAC system.
Test the Thermostat
To make sure your HVAC system is turning on properly, switch your AC mode on and change the temperature level. You should hear your AC turn on. If it doesn’t, you need to reach out for professional HVAC services.
Get Professional HVAC Maintenance Help
While the previous HVAC maintenance checklist items can be handled on your own, there are some activities you should leave to the professionals at Fox Family Heating & Air.
- Check and recharge the refrigerant levels.
- Inspect, repair, or replace the thermostat if it isn’t functioning properly.
- Test the system’s start-up and shut-off processes.
- Check electrical connections and tighten as needed.
- Clean the evaporator coils and condenser coils.
Before temperatures spike, don’t forget to schedule your annual HVAC tune-ups with Fox Family Heating & Air.
Summer HVAC Maintenance Tips
When warmer weather rolls around, there are a few HVAC maintenance tips you can use to ensure your Northern California HVAC system keeps you cool all summer long.
Monitor Energy Bills
During the summertime, your main goal is to maintain your cooling performance. To do this, start by monitoring your energy bills for sudden spikes. If you’re suddenly paying significantly more for no explicable reason, it’s time to call Fox Family Heating & Air for professional air conditioner maintenance.
Clean Around the Outdoor Unit
To protect your outdoor unit, remove any grass and vegetation in the immediate vicinity.
Change Air Filters Each Month
During periods of peak usage, you should be changing your air filters on a monthly basis. For extra help, reach out for our air filter replacement services and professional HVAC maintenance.
Pay Attention to Unusual Sounds
If your AC makes a banging, hissing, rattling, or grinding noise, it indicates a major underlying problem. For the best California seasonal HVAC care, reach out to our team right away for help.
Adjust Your Thermostat Temperature
When summertime heat waves arrive in Sacramento, your AC has to work double-time. To save money on your power bill, you should adjust your thermostat settings so that they are a little higher. If you raise your temperature by 7° to 10° for just eight hours each day, you can lower your cooling costs by an average of 10%. For even better energy efficiency, consider investing in a programmable or smart thermostat.
Inspect Your Home’s Ductwork
About 20% to 30% of the air that travels through your ductwork is lost to leaks. By inspecting ducts for leaks and blockages, you can improve the airflow in your home and prevent air loss.
When temperatures crank up in the summer, it places an added strain on Northern California HVAC systems. High summer loads can be especially hard on poorly maintained systems, so it’s essential to care for your HVAC system and schedule routine AC tune-ups.
Fall HVAC Maintenance Checklist
As the weather starts to cool off, it’s time to make sure your furnace or heat pump is ready for winter. To make scheduling HVAC maintenance a little easier, take advantage of our maintenance plan enrollment. Besides saving you money on tune-ups, you can also get special discounts and VIP priority scheduling.
Replace or Clean Your Furnace Filters
The first step in getting ready for the cooler weather is checking your furnace filters. These should be cleaned or replaced every 30 to 60 days.
Inspect Your Heat Exchanger
Before you need to use your furnace all the time, you need to ensure it is in working order. As a part of your HVAC maintenance checklist, look for any cracks or corrosion in your heat exchanger. If you notice potential issues, schedule furnace repairs right away.
Test Carbon Monoxide Detectors
To test your carbon monoxide detectors, look for a “test” button on the side of the device. It should make a sound when you press it. If it doesn’t, you need to replace the batteries.
Clean and Inspect Blower Assembly
When dust accumulates on your blower assembly, it forces the blower to work harder to do its job. Eventually, this leads to premature breakdowns. During your fall furnace maintenance appointment, one of our HVAC technicians will inspect the blower assembly for signs of an issue and clean any accumulated dust.
Lubricate Moving Parts
By lubricating moving HVAC components, you can reduce unnecessary wear and tear on your unit. During your fall maintenance tune-up, we’ll make sure all of your components are properly cleaned and lubricated so that your system is ready for wintry weather.
Check Furnace Ignition and Burners
Dirty igniters, broken flame sensors, and clogged burners can make it harder for your system to function at its best. If you notice yellow, flickering pilot lights, ignition problems, or other issues, you should reach out to one of our expert HVAC technicians right away.
Schedule a Professional Heating Tune-Up
These HVAC maintenance tips aren’t just important for your home’s energy efficiency. By performing routine furnace maintenance, you can ensure the safety and comfort of your family. We recommend scheduling a routine tune-up each fall, so your home is ready for colder weather.
Winter HVAC Maintenance Tips
While Sacramento doesn’t get as cold as the rest of the country, the weather can still be quite chilly. To make sure your furnace functions at its best, take advantage of the following wintertime HVAC maintenance checklist.
Monitor Airflow
Blocked vents, leaky ducts, and similar airflow issues prevent conditioned air from reaching your rooms. As a result, you can experience performance and energy-efficiency issues.
Keep Vents Open
To ensure your family’s warmth and the health of your HVAC system, you should always keep the vents open. Closed and obstructed vents change the pressure in your HVAC system and make it work harder than necessary.
Clean Snow or Ice Away
If you use a heat pump to keep your home warm during the winter, it’s essential to care for your outdoor unit. Throughout the winter, gently clean snow and ice off the outdoor heat pump unit.
Change Air Filters
For the best HVAC performance, you need to continue changing or cleaning your HVAC filter every 30 to 60 days.
Run System Diagnostics
If you experience uneven heating performance or hear unusual sounds, run a system diagnostic check. You can also reach out to Fox Family Heating & Air for professional system inspections and diagnostic services. We offer 24/7 emergency support, so you can get immediate help as soon as you notice any signs of a problem.
Professional vs. DIY Maintenance
As a homeowner, there are a few important HVAC maintenance tips you can perform on your own. However, more complex tasks should be left to the professionals for the safety of you and your HVAC system. Throughout the year, you should make sure to perform visual inspections of your HVAC system. If you notice any signs of wear or dust accumulation, you can reach out for professional cleaning and HVAC maintenance services.
You should also be proactive about changing your air filters. If you are using your HVAC system more frequently, your filter needs to be changed more often. For proper airflow, it’s essential to clean your vents and keep them open.
During our biannual maintenance tune-up, we’ll check your electrical systems and perform diagnostic checks. Our HVAC technicians will also check and recharge your refrigerant levels. Under federal law, HVAC refrigerants must be recharged by someone who is certified to handle refrigerants. If you think that your refrigerant levels may be low, it’s important to reach out for professional help.
To make caring for your HVAC system a little easier, check out Fox Family’s HVAC maintenance services. As a member, you get priority services whenever you have a problem. Our convenient maintenance plan also includes a few essential benefits.
- 15% discount on repairs
- Free diagnostics call if your HVAC system won’t turn on
- $49 for other diagnostic calls
- No overtime fees
- Fall and spring HVAC tune-ups
- Priority services if you have a problem
At Fox Family Heating & Air, our goal is to keep your Northern California home as comfortable and energy efficient as possible. With this in mind, we offer same-day repairs. As soon as you notice a problem, our licensed HVAC technicians will come out with fully stocked trucks and all of the parts they need to get to work.
Prepare Your HVAC System for the Best Year-Round Performance
By completing your HVAC maintenance checklist each season, you can lower your home’s energy costs and boost your family’s comfort level. More importantly, you and your loved ones can experience better peace of mind. Whether you’re sweltering in a heat wave or shivering during a wintertime evening, you need a well-maintained HVAC system to stay comfortable.
If you do notice signs of a problem, our HVAC technicians are ready to help. We offer the area’s leading furnace, AC, and heat pump maintenance and repairs. Whether you need same-day repairs or a full heat pump replacement, our experienced technicians are ready to help.
Learn more about the best HVAC maintenance tips by reaching out to Fox Family Heating & Air today.
