Homeowner Tips

Your air conditioning, heating, and plumbing systems are designed to provide you a long time of service, provided they receive routine maintenance. Routine maintenance will ensure that your home comfort systems will operate at their peak efficiency, lower energy and repair costs, and prevent breakdowns.

We have designed this portion of our website to offer you free tips to protect your home comfort system investments, and prolong the life of your equipment.

Maintaining Your Heating System

• Filter: Change your furnace filter once a month during the heating season.
• Annual Tune-Up: Schedule an annual tune-up. Furnaces need to be adjusted each year to operate at their peak efficiency. Annual maintenance checks are important, a minor adjustment is less costly than a major repair or even replacement.
• Air Vents: Keep all air registers, return air openings and space heaters or baseboards clear of furniture, rugs and drapes to allow free air movement

Maintaining Your Cooling System

• Filter: Change Your furnace filter once a month during the cooling season.
• Annual Tune-Up: Schedule an annual tune-up. It is important to have your air conditioning system inspected by a service technician. An annual tune-up can reduce your cooling costs by five percent
• Ductwork: Have your ductwork professionally cleaned every three - four years
• Leaks?: Check all hose connections for leaks, and make sure the condensate tube is draining freely

Maintaining Your Plumbing System

• Where is the shut off valve?: Know where your water shutoff valve is located and be sure that the entire family knows how to shut off household water supplies in the event of a sudden pipe or hose break
• Annual Inspection: Inspect your plumbing annually, inspect your water pipes and fittings. This is a simple check that could prevent thousands of dollars in water damage.
• Hose Replacement: Inspect around your water heater, washer, dishwasher, sinks, lavatories and refrigerator icemaker. If hoses indicate wear, replace them. Consider replacing hoses to major appliances such as your washer and dishwasher every two to five years.
• Lack of Maintenance: Generally homeowners insurance covers household water damage if the damage is sudden and accidental, such as damage caused by burst pipes, however it does not cover damage of the sort covered by flood insurance, i.e., rising water from outside; or damage caused over time by lack of maintenance
• When you go on vacation, turn off the water to your washer while you're out of town
• Never leave the house with appliances, such as dishwashers, washers or dyers, still operating.
• Let faucets connected to vulnerable pipes drip during extremely cold weather. This keeps the water moving and helps to reduce the chance of freezing.