Ductless System Maintenance

Ductless or Mini-Split heating and cooling systems are getting popular in Canada with every passing year. The sales of these systems have increased particularly in those areas where there are older homes with no ductwork installed. One of the biggest benefits that these Ductless/Mini Split Air Conditioners provide is that they are easy to install and can be mounted anywhere in the house as easily as with a few drill holes. In addition to being easy to install, they are easy to maintain and easy to repair. But maintenance nonetheless in important for all types of systems be they Duct or Ductless.

If you're a homeowner with a Ductless Air Conditioning system at home, here are some tips to consider for maintenance;

Ductless Air Conditioner Preventive Maintenance

We always suggest homeowners consider professional maintenance and tune up services at least once a year, however, there are some maintenance measures that homeowners can take themselves. A regular maintenance not only improves an appliance's efficiency but also increases its lifetime.

But before you set up your boat for maintenance, keep in mind to shut off all types of power supply.

Filter Cleaning

The Ductless or the Mini Split systems have an indoor evaporator unit. This unit is equipped with Filters that are meant to trap dust and debris. These filters if not cleaned regularly affect the system's efficiency. Although it is recommended to follow the user manual to check how often does your unit need cleaning, it is better to clean more often if you're allergic or have pets at home.

Condenser Cleaning

The second component that comes in DIY maintenance tasks is the condenser cleaning, Switch the power supply off and using a garden hose, spray dust and debris on the unit mainly on the coil. It is highly recommended to avoid high pressure since it can cause the fins of the fan to curve. If accidentally, some fins get curved, straighten them using a special alignment comb before turning the unit on.

Ductless System Maintenance Checklist

As said earlier, it is highly recommended to let a professional technician examine your unit at least once a year. And to make sure that the professional you hired has done a complete job, here's a checklist:

Check Electrical Connections

All connection inside and outside the unit are checked to stop the possibilities of any short circuiting, wire damage and overheating. Not only are these connection need to be checked, the faulty ones should be repaired as well.

Check Run Capacitor

Run capacitors need to be checked for leaks, bulging or deformation. In case a Run Capacitor is found to be faulty, a technician is supposed to replace it.

Check Refrigerant Leaks

Refrigerant Leaks if not suspected and fixed in time give way to serious repair needs. All the refrigerant lines need to be checked for any possible leaks. The leaks should be patched or lines replaced.

Check Drain Hose

From the evaporator unit, the hose that runs condensation should also be on a professional's checklist. The hose should be able to allow a free flow of condensation.

If all the above mentioned preventive maintenance tips are practised, an annual maintenance tune-up from a professional is taken and any repairs whenever needed are fixed in time, the appliance is 80% likely to last longer than other's and most likely to complete (or even surpass) its lifetime.

Posted by Heating And Cooling

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6 Things to expect from an HVAC Maintenance technician

Normally, people who call professional HVAC service providers for maintenance are the people who either don't have time for maintenance of appliances or they have insufficient knowledge to perform the maintenance themselves. In both cases, a technician comes and goes and the homeowner remains unaware of what the technician was supposed to do and what he did. Understand the fact that not all services are honest services and not all technicians committed workmen. In order to make sure you invested at the right place and was able to enjoy the due benefit, it is essential to at least know what tasks an HVAC professional is supposed to perform when he comes for a maintenance visit. This will help you have an ultimate service of your system and the investment on maintenance will return on good terms.

Here is what you should expect from an HVAC technician on a maintenance visit.

1: System Check Up

Remember that we’re talking about HVAC maintenance visit, not an Air Conditioner or Furnace Maintenance alone. So, on a complete system checkup visit, a technician is supposed to check the whole system including the Ductwork, the Appliances attached i.e Air Conditioner, Furnace, Humidifier/Air Cleaner and the gadgets attached i.e Thermostat etc. A whole system check-up is supposed to be performed to make sure everything's working well.

2. Safety Check

In addition to the whole system check up for optimal system performance, a technician is supposed to perform a general safety check as well to make sure there are no loopholes in the system that could prove to be dangerous for the system.

3. Cleaning

The benefit of taking professional maintenance services is that you don't have to take the worry of system cleaning. On a maintenance visit, cleaning of all HVAC components, vents and sometimes the cleaning of ductwork is included.

4. Check for Repairs

Since you've called a professional because you couldn't do it yourself, it is the professional who is required to check the system for any possible repair needs or replacement needs and inform the homeowner of it.

5. Answering questions

If your technician performed the maintenance tasks and left without answering the questions you had, he performed not a complete job. It is a maintenance technician's responsibility to answer the questions of the homeowners if they have any and to suggest them the ways to keep up their system. So next time a technician comes, don't hesitate to ask him anything (regarding the HVAC system of course! What else did you think?)

6. Maintenance Report

For your reference, a written report is to be provided by the technician to you at the end so that you know what exactly did he do if you personally haven't been around. It is sort of a written record that helps later on further maintenance visits.

Bottom Line

Have you ever taken a professional maintenance service? Did you make sure your technician performed all the above-mentioned tasks? If not, do it from now. Although it is highly suggested to be around when your HVAC technician is performing the maintenance but if you couldn't be available, make sure to read the Maintenance report carefully when provided and give a quick check to those things the maintenance of which have been made. This will help you make sure that you didn't litter your money and had chosen the right service.