Heat pumps have a lot of advantages to offer when it comes to climate control. However, they also have certain requirements for things like maintenance that other climate control systems don’t.
If you’re using a heat pump for climate control in your home, you should know what these unique requirements are so that you can keep your system in good shape. Let’s go over why maintenance is so important for maintaining your heat pump, and why you need to schedule it more often than with other systems.
Preventive Maintenance
The main reason that doctors, dentists, and the like are so adamant about patients keeping regular appointments is because a lot of problems don’t have obvious warning signs when they first develop. If you wait for your heat pump to start giving you warning signs before calling for repairs, you’re increasing the chances that whatever problem is at the root of it will damage the system. It’s better to catch problems as early as possible, before they even start to show symptoms. That means that you need to schedule preventive maintenance on a regular basis.
Systems that receive regular maintenance can operate up to 40% more efficiently, and are up to 90% less likely to develop problems in the future. That translates to substantial financial savings over the life of the heat pump, provided you schedule maintenance for it often enough. And that’s where a lot of homeowners run into issues. Many homeowners don’t actually schedule heat pump maintenance, or if they do, they don’t have it done often enough.
How Often to Schedule Heat Pump Maintenance
So, for most climate control systems, preventive maintenance only needs to be done once a year to keep them in good shape. The reason is that most heaters and air conditioners only have one season out of the year during which they are put under increased stress. If maintenance is conducted shortly before that high stress season begins, it is typically enough to keep the system in top condition.
Things are a bit different for heat pumps, though. Because a heat pump is used as both a heater and an air conditioner throughout the year, it accumulates much more wear and tear than other climate control systems. This means that the system needs maintenance twice as often in order to stay in good shape. If you want to make sure that your heat pump stays in top shape throughout the year, you should schedule preventive maintenance for it once during spring and once during fall. That should be sufficient to ensure that the system is as protected as possible from problems that may occur.
Area Heating & Cooling, Inc. offers comprehensive heat pump maintenance and repair services in Vancouver, WA. If you need to have a professional examine your heat pump this season, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
