Spring is considered the beginning of the cooling season in the Texas HVAC industry. It’s not extremely hot but it’s not cold either— it’s actually a quite pleasant balance between 70° and 80° days. Houston and the surrounding area is considered the gulf coast climate zone, but our HVAC units still take a heavy load during the winter. It’s not that our winters are terribly harsh but people in this region are not used to temperatures below 40°, so we are quick to turn the heat on high. Your HVAC system is one of the largest investments in your home and it is worth getting a tune-up at the beginning of every heating and cooling season. Neglecting regular maintenance like this can lead to more expensive failures that could’ve been prevented if maintained properly.
The good news is, with a system tune-up from Airteam, you can be assured your system is ready and able to handle the upcoming heat wave every year in Texas. We don’t recommend trying to service your unit yourself as it is a source of extremely high voltage and you could seriously injure yourself if not trained properly. With Airteam, we handle it all so you don’t have to risk hurting yourself—just take a look at the services we provide during your HVAC tune-up:
Spring Maintenance Services
Outdoor Unit Inspection
- We Inspect The Outdoor Unit Panels: It is very important that these panels are maintained properly, as they house the electrical connections. Not only are they designed to protect from the elements, they are designed to protect your family from electrocution. If your panels are not aligned or not installed correctly, it can cause a serious problem down the road.
- We Repair Or Replace Bad Pipe Insulation: The larger of the copper pipes on your unit is called the suction line. It is what distributes cool refrigerant back to the compressor. If the insulation around this pipe has been damaged, it would result in reduced cooling, making the unit work harder. Not only does this extra load wear your system out fast, it also can result in significant energy loss. Insulation becomes damaged from dry rot, freezing temperatures, animals, or severe weather. The insulation must be intact if your system is to run properly. Our skilled technicians make sure your insulation is in great working order and, if it’s not, we repair or replace it to have your system running cool for the summer.
- We Clear Any Debris From The Coil: It is not uncommon over the course of fall and winter to find leaves, trash, or other debris blown by Texas crosswinds up against or into the coil. This condenser coil is designed to transfer and dissipate heat to help keep the system running cool. This debris makes it harder for heat to dissipate which makes you system run hotter. Over time, running at a higher temperature will eventually cause the unit to breakdown, to some degree. We thoroughly clean debris away from your coil leaving it unobstructed allowing more efficient operation and less energy usage.
Indoor System Inspection
- We Change The Air Filters: Over the winter your air filter inside gathers a lot more debris, pet dander, and dust than normal. This buildup can literally choke an HVAC system into failure if not maintained properly. Our technicians will replace the filter during the maintenance call as well as dispose of your old one for you – no mess no hassle.
- We Check The Condensate Line: The condensate line, also known as a coil drainage hose, drains the water from the condensation tray and outside of the house. If the condensate line is clogged, the water in the tray will build up and spill out into your foundation which can cause mildew and mold. We will also make sure your line is properly routed to have the best possible flow and drain end point.
- We Verify It’s All Working Properly: After all the diagnostics, the cleaning of coils, vents and the rest of our multipoint maintenance, we make sure all is working properly. This is the only part that requires some post service call participation from you in order to cover all the bases.
After we have signed off on a healthy system, you should wait for a hot day, set the air low enough to cool, and with your hand check the temperature of the air coming out of all vents. You can make it easier on yourself to check the air temperature by ordering an infrared thermometer on Amazon.com for fewer than 30 dollars. If the system is working properly, you should feel pretty cool air (around 60° or less) coming out of the system after a few minutes. If the air is not cool or there is no airflow at all, power off your unit immediately to avoid damage. Your next step should naturally be to call Airteam to have your unit checked out.
Stay Ahead Of HVAC Problems With Our MVP Service Plan
While checking your system twice a year is a good start to maintaining a healthy long lived HVAC unit, there’s another path you can take that’s even better for your unit.
Our MVP service plans keep your system running all year long with regular planned service calls for one low monthly fee. Our MVP members tend to have significantly fewer problems from their HVAC unit and service calls go a lot quicker as we get familiar with your home’s layout.
Our qualified technicians can make you aware of any potential trouble spots before they become full blown issues by noticing changes month to month in your system. Seeing your unit on a regular basis gets our technicians familiar with your cooling habits and can adjust your system accordingly. Contact us today and let us be the champions of your HVAC.
