Whether they’re in your home or your place of work, HVAC systems are essential for maintaining comfortable conditions. In many parts of North America, temperatures quickly become unbearable inside a crowded house or office and HVAC is needed to ensure climate control.

Taking care of an HVAC system isn’t rocket science; you only need to know some basic maintenance tips to get by. Here’s the most important day to day HVAC maintenance tips.


Change Your Filters
Ensuring that you change the filters in your HVAC unit regularly is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that it is operating at maximum efficiency. Filters are there to filter out any large particulate matter from the air, preventing dirt and debris from being circulated around your home. It doesn’t take long for a filter to become clogged and they should be changed every 1 - 3 months.

If you or someone in your home suffers from allergies, you want to ensure that your filters are doing their job properly. People who are sensitive to allergens will want to change their filters even more regularly. If you need to buy new filters for your HVAC system, check out the linked furnace filter comparison.

Clean the Condensing Unit
It is likely that your HVAC system will utilize an outdoor heat pump or condensing unit. During the hot summer months, this unit will be essential for dispersing heat and preventing the entire system from overheating. In most cases, the fans on these units will be constructed from metal fins, which are prone to clogging with dirt and pollen from the outside.

You should aim to give this unit a good clean every three months or so. To do this, all you need to do is use water from a standard garden hose. Don’t use pressure washing equipment as this is likely to damage the unit.

Regularly Check Your Outdoor Unit
As well as making sure to clean the metal fins on your condensing unit every three months or so, you should be checking it daily for any build-up of leaves and other debris. If the weather is bad, you would be amazed just how quickly the leaves, branches, and other matter can accumulate around your unit and obstruct airflow.

It is important that all the vents on the unit are kept clear so that air can continue to flow. Give your unit a quick check whenever you are passing it and make sure that there are no blockages or obstructions.

Call in a Professional if You are Unsure
If you experience any issues with your HVAC unit that you cannot diagnose and resolve on your own, you should call in a professional to help you. Otherwise, you run the risk of turning a minor issue into something far worse - you don’t want to have to buy a whole new unit. Instead, call in a professional repair service and ask them to show you what the issue is and how to fix it.
After you have owned several HVAC systems, you should find it relatively easy to solve problems on your own. Remember the advice above and don’t be tempted to try and bite off more than you can chew.