Part of being a responsible business owner requires keeping up with HVAC maintenance. Regular care and upkeep not only help avoid breakdowns and downtime but also result in less energy use. These energy savings translate into lower energy costs and a smaller carbon footprint. And when you incorporate maintenance into your annual schedule, it becomes easier to keep the HVAC system working as it should year-round. This demonstrates your commitment to providing a comfortable and healthy atmosphere for your workers and customers.
Changing Air Filters and Cleaning Air Vents
There are several maintenance tasks that you need to perform throughout each season, including changing air filters and cleaning air vents. If you ignore these tasks, you’ll probably notice a decrease in airflow and air quality. Clogged filters and dirty vents also make it harder for the HVAC system to distribute conditioned air, causing excessive wear and tear. This can lead to premature replacements, inconvenient breakdowns, and a loss of productivity in the workplace.
It’s fairly simple to keep up with required filter changes and cleaning of air vents in your commercial space. You can assign the tasks to yourself or an employee, making sure to include them in your work calendar so you don’t forget them. At the very least, you should check the filters once a month to see whether they’re dirty. You should clean the air vents once a week. If your commercial space is large and divided into departments, you can assign a person from each department to clean the vents and keep an eye on the air filters.
You or the people you assign to these tasks, will most likely need to change the air filters at least once every three months. Commercial spaces that have a dusty atmosphere, like manufacturing facilities, woodworking shops, and warehouses, will require more frequent filter changes.
Clearing Debris From Outdoor Units
Another key part of seasonal HVAC maintenance involves checking the outdoor units for debris. During the spring, it’s not uncommon for grass clippings to accumulate on or around the HVAC system. Debris from storms in the spring can also lead to twigs and branches falling on the unit. These things can cause significant damage to the system if you don’t remove them.
In summer, someone needs to keep the outdoor unit clear of grass clippings and insects. Bugs, spiders, and rodents nest in outdoor HVAC units because of the warmth and shelter they provide. These intrusions can hinder the functionality of the system and harm it.
During the fall, someone will need to keep the outside unit clear of leaves. If the property has fruit trees, oaks with acorns, or other types of seed-bearing plants, make sure to keep them planted away from the HVAC unit. If you don’t, you risk the seeds or fruit damaging the system as they fall and gather around the system’s outdoor components.
Temperatures in Arizona tend to stay pretty warm, but it’s not out of the ordinary for nighttime temperatures to dip below freezing several times each year. The state even experiences snowstorms, especially in the northern part. Outdoor HVAC equipment is particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of snow and ice, which may eventually cause the system to fail.
To clear snow, you can take a brush or broom and gently sweep it away from the unit. If the unit has ice buildup on it, a plastic ice scraper might do the trick for removing the ice. Don’t use chemical deicers to remove ice or snow; this can corrode the unit, especially its metal components. It can also damage the surrounding landscape. When you can’t scrape the ice with an ice scraper, the best thing to do is let the sunlight naturally melt it away. This might require trimming branches or shrubs to ensure the unit has plenty of natural light hitting it throughout the day.
Gas Heater Maintenance
Spring maintenance for gas heaters involves remembering to turn off the pilot light. In the fall and winter, it involves relighting the pilot and then listening for unusual noises and paying attention to any unusual odors on a daily basis. A smell of sulfur or rotten eggs can mean a gas leak. If this happens, you’ll need to evacuate the building and call a professional immediately.
Banging and rattling noises usually indicate a loose part, like a fan blade or motor mount. Hissing noises suggest air leaks or gas-related problems. Slipping belts tend to create a squealing noise. All of these unusual noises require immediate attention from a professional.
Testing Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Ideally, you have your entire commercial space outfitted with smoke alarms. If you use gas heating, the space should also have carbon monoxide detectors. Seasonal maintenance for these devices is simple. You or someone else just needs to check the batteries and test all units once a month.
Scheduling Professional Seasonal Maintenance
Most experts recommend scheduling professional seasonal maintenance for commercial HVAC systems twice a year: once in the fall for the furnace and once in the spring for the air conditioner. Professional AC maintenance consists of checking refrigerant levels, clearing condensate drain lines, cleaning coils and testing the system. Expert maintenance for heaters includes cleaning burners and heat exchangers. A professional may also check the attic, crawlspaces, flues, and chimneys to ensure adequate ventilation.
Inspecting ductwork can be added as part of seasonal maintenance. The ductwork should also be cleaned every few years.
Monitoring System Performance
The last part of seasonal maintenance for commercial HVAC consists of monitoring the systems regularly. You’ll want to pay close attention to thermostat settings. As the weather warms up, someone will need to switch the system from heating to cooling. This usually occurs during the spring. In the fall, you’ll have to switch it back to heating mode. Calibrating the thermostat for accuracy at these times will ensure it contributes to the system’s efficiency.
Another way to monitor the system’s performance is to carefully review monthly heating and cooling bills. A sudden spike may indicate some type of underlying problem, like low refrigerant level, poor insulation, or an aging system. If your rate increases and you don’t know why, it’s best to contact a licensed HVAC expert to assess the problem. Ignoring the underlying issues will only make the situation worse. The whole system may stop working, which can lead to a considerable amount of downtime as you wait for someone to find and fix the source of the problem.
When reviewing the bills, keep in mind any seasonal patterns or work-related scenarios that may impact the building’s energy use. For example, during rainy parts of the year, you may notice an increase in heating and cooling costs due to heightened humidity levels. Or perhaps there are a few weeks each year that you have a considerable increase in the number of customers or employees inside your commercial space. During these weeks, you’ll likely notice an increase in your heating and cooling costs.
If you’ve been using the commercial space for more than a year, make sure to compare this year’s bills with those from the year previous. This can help you keep track of any deviations and know when to call a professional to investigate whether there’s a problem with the HVAC system.
At Emergency Air Heating Cooling & Plumbing, we make it easy to stay on top of seasonal maintenance for your commercial HVAC system. In fact, we perform a complete array of HVAC services. We also offer a full line of plumbing services. To schedule commercial HVAC maintenance in Chandler, AZ, call us today.
