Most homeowners understand value in keeping their cars properly maintained. Oil changes, tires rotated, brakes fresh etc. It’s something we use almost everyday and is a major safety concern, especially when moving a family from activity to activity.
When it comes to spending household income on maintaining mechanical equipment in a home, many people balk and the thought. Many homeowners struggle to see the value. “It’s working fine, I will deal with it when something happens” is common sentiment. This can work fine for many households, until there is an inevitable issue. Seemingly, for most people, these issues are always at the least convenient time. During a long weekend, coldest days of the year, hottest days of the year, right after a big purchase etc. always seem to be when you need that maintenance call.
Most contractors will suggest having equipment looked at on an annual basis is important. Yes, it’s a service they offer, so it does benefit them directly but what most homeowners do not realize is that it comes from experience.
We have all had emergency calls during the Christmas holiday, on a Saturday morning when there was 15 kids coming over for a birthday party or a newborn was coming home. Most of the time, these emergency issues could be picked up prior to them becoming a major issue. Annual servicing can prevent these emergency and inconvenient issues.
How does this relate to your heat pump exactly?
Believe it or not, other than the clocks on your stove and microwave, the heat pump in your home is likely your highest usage equipment. By a long shot. Most properly sized heat pumps run almost 24/7. Here in Nova Scotia, we might get two months at best, where heat pumps are not at high usage. These units are developed to work continuously, but there is wear in tear over years. There is dust and debris build up in even the cleanest homes. There is buildup of mildew in some units. There can be slight degradation in performance. Think of it as the drain in your shower. Sometimes it slowly clogs up, it still drains but the difference between clean and slightly clogged is drastic when you finally get to cleaning it out. Heat pumps are the same.
Air quality, comfort, convenience. That should be all you need to think about. Don’t be caught with a major issue that stemmed from a minor one. Don’t wake up on a holiday morning with no heat or a/c. Make sure you get your unit looked at year after year to maintain performance, air quality and comfort.
