Ducted heating systems are an excellent way to keep the house and business warm over winter and cool over the summers. The systems allow you to maintain even temperatures throughout the house and even selectively heat or cool specific rooms.
Good quality ducted systems don’t come cheap, so you should service them regularly to keep them functioning optimally.
How often should ducted heating be serviced? HVAC repair services agree that you should service it as often as the other systems—usually once a year.
What is involved in ducted heating service?
Plenty of things are involved, with the common ones being:
Inspection and cleaning of the components
The technician you hire should inspect and clean the unit’s components. These components include: ignition system, heat exchanger, fan assembly, burners, return air grille, filter, and flame sensors.
Inspection of the appliance’s operation and settings
The technician should also inspect the various parts of the appliance and their settings. Some of the things the contractor should do include:
- Check the capacitor and fan motor operation
- Visually inspect the ductwork for any form of damage
- Inspect the gas burner pressures and confirm that they are set correctly
- Check the flue pipe and ensure that it is connected correctly
- Check the electrical connections for any damage.
Test the system for performance and safety
Finally, the technician should test the heating system and ensure that it’s performing optimally and safely. Some of the tests they should undertake include:
- Test for natural gas and carbon monoxide leaks
- Test the calibration of the thermostat
- Check the appliance for adequate airflow from the outlets
- Advise on the best heating appliance best practices to achieve maximum efficiency
- Provide a detailed report on the completion of the testing
What happens if you don’t service the ducted system?
Like with other heating systems, plenty of things are bound to go wrong when you don’t service your ducted system regularly enough. Some of these things include:
Air contamination
A lot of dust and other allergens can be caught in the ducted heating system, and when you don’t clean the system regularly, the dust is blown around your house, making the air uncomfortable to breathe. If you suffer from allergies, the dusty and contaminated air can exacerbate your condition.
You have an increase in energy use.
A dirty and poorly maintained heating system is inefficient, which means that you spend more energy heating up your house. This means that when you don’t service your appliance regularly enough, your appliance continues functioning inefficiently, which means you have a high energy bill at the end of the month.
You end up spending a lot of money fixing the appliance
You might think you are saving money by not servicing your appliance once or twice a year, but this isn’t the case. When servicing the appliance, you pick the system problems while they are in their initial stages and fix them before they worsen.
It’s completely different when you run your appliance without servicing it. In most cases, the small problems worsen over time, and you have to spend astronomical amounts on restoring the appliance to proper working condition.
You reduce the safety of your house.
If you have a ducted gas system, the gas can leak into the house, putting you and your family at the risk of suffocation.
Always work with an expert.
For your heating appliance to last for long and keep functioning optimally, you should have it serviced at least once a year. When hiring HVAC companies Long Island, don’t hire just any company. Ensure that the company is experienced at servicing ducted systems. You will even be better off hiring a company that specializes in servicing your specific system model.