It’s almost inevitable that something may come up with your HVAC system in the future. After all, it is a complex piece of equipment composed of many different components. If you’re the type of person who enjoys a good DIY project, or maybe you just like to do it yourself when it comes to household repairs and maintenance tasks, you might be tempted to try and repair the issue by yourself. However, you should know the dangers involved when performing a DIY repair on your HVAC system. Your LRF Maintenance, Heating & Cooling family wants the best for you, and safety is at the top of that list!
How Can DIY HVAC Repairs Affect Your Warranty?
First off, let’s talk about your warranty. If you’re not familiar with your furnace and AC unit’s warranty policy, it would be good to check it out. Most manufacturers state in their policy that if any DIY repairs are done to the unit, it voids the warranty altogether. So before you start trying to do it yourself, you should weigh all the pros and cons concerning the equipment warranty.
How Can DIY HVAC Repairs Affect Your Safety?
Performing DIY repairs on your HVAC system is terribly risky. There are several hazardous materials and components that could be detrimental to you, your home, and your family if not handled properly. Potential hazards are:
- Possible poisoning from carbon monoxide or inhaling gas fumes.
- House fires or explosions can occur from improper wiring, natural gas, or oil handling.
- Electrocution by coming into contact with faulty wires.
How Can DIY HVAC Repairs Affect Your Equipment?
Numerous things can go wrong with various components in your HVAC system if you are not a licensed professional. The cheaper route is not always the best option. When you choose to do the repair yourself, something may go wrong with one component while you are trying to focus on another, which can result in a snowball effect of one thing occurring after another. You will most likely find yourself paying more out of pocket to get everything up and running again at the end of it all. You can save yourself a lot of time, money, and stress by calling a service professional to begin with.
How Can You Take Care of your HVAC System by Yourself?
As a homeowner, you can still take a few things upon yourself to ensure your residential HVAC system is kept in good condition and continues to run smoothly.
- Keep your thermostat clean- It’s good to keep your thermostat free of dust. You can wipe the thermostat down gently with a soft cloth. Doing this ensures you can operate the buttons on your thermostat without any issues.
- Make sure the thermostat settings work- You can test the different settings on your thermostat. On occasion, you should test your thermostat settings to confirm your HVAC system still responds to them.
- Replace your thermostat batteries- If it’s been a while since your last battery change, you can be proactive and change your thermostat batteries now. So often, thermostat batteries are forgotten about. But you don’t want to wait until the last minute and deal with a dead thermostat and your HVAC system not turning on.
- Change the air filters frequently- Air filters need to be replaced every 30-60 days. You do not have to wait for a technician to change them at your next appointment. Air filters need to be changed frequently to avoid getting overloaded with dust and other airborne particles and causing your HVAC system to short cycle.
It is essential to keep your HVAC system not just running but running efficiently! For this reason, you won’t want to skimp on proper repairs and go the cheap route. If so, you just might find yourself regretting it in the end. Instead, allow LRF Maintenance, Heating & Cooling to handle all of your HVAC needs. Our technicians are NATE-certified, and we aim to please you with our five-star customer service. Call us at (614) 837-4822, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!
