HVAC systems need maintenance. In addition to having your system regularly serviced by professionals, you need to do your part to keep everything in tip-top shape. Of course, you don't want to take on projects that are too complicated, especially when you consider that there are so many gas and electrical components within an HVAC system. That is, you don't want to ruin anything or create a problem that you didn't have before. This article looks at furnace maintenance. It should help you decide which jobs you can handle yourself, and which should just be left to professionals.

Professional Maintenance

If your furnace needs motor or fuel pump maintenance, these are two jobs you want a professional to handle. You shouldn't mess with the complicated gas and electrical components because they can be quite fragile. You also don't want to tinker with the refrigerant lines because these need to be properly pressurized and tested by technicians. These are tasks are very simple for licensed HVAC contractor, but nearly impossible for homeowners. If you don't have the tools and knowledge, you won't be able to properly make the repairs.

DIY Maintenance

There are several easy things you can do yourself to improve your system. First of all, make sure the return air filter is clean and replaced on a regular basis. This large filter is responsible for cleaning the air that is sucked into your furnace. If this air is not filtered, your vital furnace components are going to suffer. In fact, it is a good idea to clean out the entire furnace cabinet. Just lightly vacuuming all of the surfaces is going to be beneficial. Just be careful around the refrigerant and power lines because you don't want to knock anything loose.

It is also worth cleaning the outside of your furnace cabinet. If you keep the area around your furnace cabinet free of clutter and junk, the air circulating through your ducts is bound to be cleaner. If dust is accumulating on your furnace cabinet, you can't get sucked into the furnace and pumped throughout your duct system. Basically, you will have to change your filter more frequently, and the quality of air flowing throughout your system is bound to be loud if the space around is dirty. As you can see, most complicated jobs need to be left to HVAC technicians.

However, if you do these simple DIY tasks, you won't need to resort to calling the professionals as frequently. When you do need help, contact a company like Augusta Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning.