How often should I maintain my HVAC system?

I just moved into an older home. The previous owner says that the current HVAC system in here is about 8-10 years old so I want to stretch that life expectancy out as looooong as possible haha. How often should I be getting a professional in to do some maintenance?

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i moved to BC from Ontario a year ago and with the more extreme temperatures there i had a service contract with my hvac company. theyd come every year and do some basic checks including filter chnge. Benefit: if i had issues at a different point in the year i was at the top of their priority list for coming to the rescue.

i definitely want to find someone who can do something similar now in BC. not sure if it’s still needed on an annual basis with temps being less extreme?

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We just had our heat pump serviced in the fall. Our company suggested doing it then before the cooling season and it reminded me that we had some issues at the end of last winter that we put off dealing with HAHA - slight procrastination. They called it a 10-point inspection. I can’t remember what all of the things were that they checked, we have the work sheet filed away somewhere…

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I am planning to buy a townhouse, and the previous owner said that they have never serviced the HVAC system in last 5 years. Does anyone have recommendation of how often we should service the HVAC duct?

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Sorry for this really simple question, but when you get someone in to do a “basic check”, what does that usually entail?

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You should have your system on a maintenance routine twice a year. Spring for a/c and fall for heating. A tech will check all components are working correctly (within specs), the system is clean and it is safe to use. Every company offers a different maintenance plan so be sure to ask what the routine maintenance costs will be and what it provides. Finding a company that is focused on just doing your maintenance and not making a sales pitch is impossible. But if you are told the system needs replacing always get a second opinion. The cheaper the maintenance plan the higher the sales pressure will be.

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Thank you @Susie.Dunn, I appreciate the information. Definitely lots to think about here.

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You definitely want to avoid emergencies, since other people might have the same happening as the season changes, so I think it’s a good idea to have a service maintenance contract, kind of like pet insurance :slight_smile: Is An HVAC/Plumbing Service Plan Really Worth It | AtlasCare

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Hi, OP! I always make sure to have our HVAC serviced by Direct Air Conditioning at least twice a year. Our unit is also quite old, around 11 years old, but it still works great. As long as you continue to perform annual maintenance to your system, it should last a couple more years.

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Personally, we get ours maintained every other month by American Home Water and Air. Call us paranoid, but a lot can happen to a unit in just less than two months. There may be unseen factors of a problem going into play and we don’t have the skillset to check it ourselves. You don’t have to exactly follow that, though, every 3-4 months should be fine. An AC that’s 8-10 years old wouldn’t be considered old in my book, but it may differ for others. Just make sure you find a company that can maintain an older model of AC.

Based on what the HVAC technician that repaired my AC said, HVAC maintenance should be done by a professional at least once a year to ensure that everything’s good with your HVAC system. This helps prevent several different HVAC issues like central air not cooling or a malfunctioning air conditioner as a professional HVAC technician would spot potential problems right away during maintenance and get it repaired or replaced before it turns into a major issue that could require a costly repair.

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I personally get my HVAC systems regularly serviced for maintenance by Direct Air here in Miami and based on what one of their technicians have mentioned before, an annual HVAC maintenance would be ideal so you can be sure that it would be done properly. I also get professional duct cleaning services done simultaneously with the HVAC maintenance to ensure that may air ducts at home are clean as well, to help impove out indoor air quality at home.

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