Your heat pump is one of the most complicated machines in your house. A number of factors can reduce its efficiency or even lead to premature breakdown. That’s why regular heat pump maintenance is critical to your equipment’s performance. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a heat pump that receives regular maintenance can work anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent more efficiently than a neglected one.

Some aspects of maintenance are easy for Southwest Florida homeowners to cover themselves, but other tasks should be seen to by a professional.

You can:

• Use your thermostat wisely. Choose settings on your programmable thermostat that will save energy.
• Keep debris away from the outdoor unit. Grass clippings, especially, can be a problem if they get into your outdoor unit and clog the system. Also look out for leaves, twigs and trash.
• Change your air filters. Keeping the filters fresh means airflow can move at proper rates through your system, your ductwork and your home. Clean filters also help reduce indoor air pollution.

Here are a few aspects of heat pump maintenance that are better left to the pros:

• Testing refrigerant levels, adding or draining refrigerant as needed.
• Ensuring the evaporator and condensing coils, which can switch roles in a heat pump, are clean and running economically.
• Checking the reversal valve, which enables the coils to exchange functions.
• Lubricating all moving parts, such as those in the motor.
• Verifying safe electrical functioning, including correct voltage and current.
• Tightening all electrical connections.

You invested in a heat pump to save energy. It would be a shame to negate the savings by neglecting your system. In fact, neglect is the top reason heat pumps fail before their time. Extend the life span of yours as long as possible.

Call the cooling and heating professionals at Conditioned Air to schedule heat pump maintenance today. We’ve been keeping Southwest Florida homeowners comfortable since 1962, and we’ll be happy to serve you.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pump preventive maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

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