Why You Need an HVAC Preventive Maintenance Plan This Year
A lot of your work as a homeowner involves trying to save money. When you think about the cost of preventive maintenance for your air conditioning or plumbing as well as how often you have to do it, you might think you’ll spend less if you run through the checklist yourself. That is, until it’s a boiling hot day and your air conditioning isn’t doing anything. You’re quickly losing all your chill and all you need is that cool air flowing again.
Suddenly, that minor investment feels like a much better deal. And when you think about all the perks you get from a preventive maintenance plan, it’s easy to understand why they’re so popular. The short version is that you almost never save money by skimping on regular upkeep for your air conditioning, heating, or plumbing systems. Here are several reasons it might be the best financial decision you make this year.
What Is an HVAC Preventive Maintenance Plan?
It’s always good to understand what you’re signing up for, especially if it includes a monthly or yearly charge you’ll need to pay in advance. The good news is that an HVAC preventive maintenance plan is pretty easy to figure out. Instead of scheduling maintenance when you need it and paying at the point of service, you plan to get regular maintenance at the ideal time of year for the system. You’re already on a payment plan, so you don’t have to cough up money for it on the fly. At Precision Air & Plumbing, we’ll let you know when is a good time to arrange a tune-up. You can also schedule it on your own at a time that works best for you.
What is Included in a Preventive Maintenance Plan?
A lot of homeowners tend to forget about many aspects of home maintenance unless the system is breathing fire in your face. A preventive maintenance plan gets rid of the stress of figuring out what to do and when with these benefits:
- Yearly inspections for air conditioning, heating, and plumbing
- Discounts on services, for as long as the plan is active
- Priority when scheduling emergency service
- Discounts on repairs, if you need them
Knowing that your system is protected gives you extra time to focus on things that matter most to you.
Why Is Preventive Maintenance Important?
If you’re the kind of person who looks at a broken bone and thinks, “I can just walk it off,” you might need a little persuading to understand the importance of preventive maintenance. Sure, there are professionals like us at Precision Air & Plumbing, who can fix your system when it breaks. But in a lot of cases, there were all kinds of signs that something was about to fail. If you’re not a pro, you might not notice them in time. And once it shuts down, you’re probably dealing with a much larger expense to repair it. Think of preventive maintenance as the sign on the road that warns you about dangers ahead. It helps you to look for concerns, plan for them, and hopefully avoid them.
Are the Perks of a Plan Worth It?
The fundamental point of preventive maintenance is to make sure that your system is in good general condition before you put it through the wringer in the middle of July. But when you sign up for a regular plan, you also get a lot of perks that can really pay off if you get in trouble. Picture it: your system shut down expectedly, as abruptly and seriously as a toilet that won’t flush. You call for emergency service. And because you had an existing plan, you get priority that pushes you in front of the schedule for service. The service calls cost less, and repairs do too. One minor setback might pay for a year’s worth of the plan, saving you a ton of hassle and unexpected expenses.
What Comes in a Maintenance Checklist?
If you’re pretty handy and starting to wonder why you can’t just do all this by yourself, you should take a look at our preventive maintenance checklist. Each year, we perform a 35-point evaluation for your air conditioning and heating system, with a 19-point inspection for your plumbing. This includes complicated tasks like:
- Checking your refrigerant levels and pressure
- Confirming all electrical parts are working correctly
- Testing sewer flow
- Flushing the water heater
This isn’t a particularly appetizing job for most homeowners. If you’d rather not get elbow-deep inside your toilets, you’re better off saving it for the experts at Precision Air & Plumbing.
How Often Should You Schedule Preventive Maintenance?
Figuring out how often to maintain the system is easy: Just once a year. As a general rule, the best time to inspect your system is shortly before you plan to use it heavily. This is because problems that lurk under the surface when you’re not using the system tend to come out in a big way once you bring the full-court pressure. This means that you’ll want to get your air conditioning looked at in the late winter or early spring, and your plumbing system at the same time to ensure your sprinklers are ready to go. That way, you can rest easy knowing that your system is in great condition for the season.
How Much Does a Preventive Maintenance Plan Cost?
Money is money, and the less you have to pay for the same benefits, the better. That’s why we at Precision Air & Plumbing think spending a few hundred dollars a year on a preventive maintenance plan is a no-brainer. If your system breaks down to the point of needing to replace it, or your plumbing has now become an explosive nightmare, you’re looking at $5,000-$10,000. You’ll eventually need to replace your air conditioning unit, but it’s better to do that on your own timeline. A slight investment in preventive maintenance can give you the heads-up you need to plan for the expense instead of having to fork it all out in a hurry.
Air conditioning and plumbing systems were never meant to operate without upkeep. Preventive maintenance plans save you time, money, and stress. To learn more about how you can make your home run better without a lot of extra work, request an appointment today.
