Your Yearly HVAC Maintenance Checklist for a Smooth-Running System

Keeping up with your HVAC’s health can seem like a chore, but a few simple jobs can prolong the life of your system and keep it running efficiently.

In the humid, salty air of Corpus Christi, it’s essential to regularly maintain your AC unit and fight against corrosion. Once you know what to do and when, it’s easy to keep up with routine care.

Here are the most critical HVAC upkeep jobs and how frequently you need to do them …

Once-a-season HVAC System Cleaning

Corpus Christi air conditioners often run year-round, requiring constant maintenance to stay in good shape. Units exposed to a coastal climate may last only 7–12 years, though they can last up to 15–20 years with proper care. At the beginning of each season, a professional maintenance check on your system will ensure it lasts longer and runs efficiently. A professional tune-up will complete a multi-point check of all important components, like:

  • Cleaning the HVAC coils. Your air conditioner (or heat pump) has two coils: the evaporator and the condenser. Both can get caked with dirt or salt, lowering their efficiency. Cleaning HVAC coils eases the strain on your system and makes it easier to cool your home. Have a professional open your air conditioner once a season for cleaning since the hot weather in Corpus Christi requires you to run your AC most of the year.

  • Clearing points of drainage. Air conditioners produce water as they run. They either drain through a line to a hole near your outdoor unit or into a drain pan on window air conditioners. A technician will ensure drain lines aren’t blocked by plant matter or other debris and that condensate pans drain properly. You can double-check drainage after large storms, to make sure it’s not visibly blocked by debris.

Between professional visits, you should:

  • Change the air filter on your indoor unit. Your AC air filter needs changing (or washing, if it’s reusable) every three months to protect indoor air quality and allow it to remove dust and other airborne particles from indoor air. If you notice your filters clogging (getting very dirty) before three months are up, consider changing them twice as often.

  • Dust vent covers. Routinely dust your registers (and your thermostat!) to keep dust out of the air and encourage proper airflow.

  • Check your bills. Air conditioners with worn-out parts often reveal themselves with an unusual jump in the cooling bill. If your electric statement is oddly high, contact us for AC repairs.

 

Twice-a-Year Jobs

The best time to do these jobs is in the spring and fall when the weather isn’t as extreme. However, you can add them to your calendar for any time that you’re comfortable doing upkeep jobs. Just make sure to pencil them in approximately every six months.

  • Have a technician lubricate moving parts. Leave interior air conditioner maintenance to the pros. We’ll lubricate moving air conditioner parts like fan blades and motor bearings to reduce friction.

  • Switch ceiling fan spin. Corpus Christi may not have a bitterly cold season, but it can get chilly in fall and winter. Redistribute warm air by switching your ceiling fans to spin counterclockwise in the colder months. When temperatures start to rise, set them back to rotate clockwise.

 

Yearly HVAC Maintenance

Add these jobs to your chore rotation consistently so you remember to do them every year. We recommend doing them at the same time as your spring twice-a-year jobs.

  • Check for duct leaks. Leaky ducts in your central air conditioning system lose cool air that should be entering your living spaces. Check your ducts once a year for leaky spots and seal small holes with mastic. For more extensive damage, including structural issues, schedule duct repair.

  • Schedule an AC belt inspection. If your air conditioner runs on belts, your technician should check them before summer temperatures set in. They’ll replace worn belts to prevent them from breaking when you need your AC the most.

  • Change thermostat batteries. While batteries likely aren’t your thermostat’s primary power source, having a battery backup is essential in a power outage. Make sure your thermostat has functioning batteries by changing them once a year. This is also an excellent opportunity to check and change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

 

Non-yearly Upkeep Jobs

Not every job needs to be performed yearly. Do these jobs as necessary for your system.

  • Clean ducts. Schedule professional HVAC system duct cleaning every three to five years to ensure proper airflow and prevent problematic indoor air quality.

  • Ask a professional to apply coil protectant. The salty air of Corpus Christi can corrod the metal in outdoor AC units faster than non-coastal installations. This corrosion particularly affects the coils, which are expensive to replace. Every five to ten years, have your technician reapply an HVAC coil coating to protect against corrosion.

 

How Often Should HVAC Be Serviced Professionally?

Some jobs are best left to the experts, including your twice-yearly system maintenance. This check is an opportunity for our technicians to perform a tune-up and examine your system for problems before costly repairs are necessary. Schedule your maintenance checks for spring and fall, to prepare your system for the heavy lifting of Corpus Christi’s summer and to care for it after the hardest strain of the year. Regular professional maintenance can extend the lifespan of your AC unit.

Always Rely on the Pros for HVAC Jobs You Can’t Do Yourself

Air conditioners and heat pumps are complex machines. Even the most dedicated DIYer will run into problems they can’t fix alone; that’s where we come in.

The experts at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Corpus Christi can solve your HVAC problem, leaving you with a more comfortable home. Schedule everything from routine maintenance to emergency repairs when you call us at (361) 245-3945: or book online.