The Importance of Spring Tune-Ups for Commercial Heating Systems
As a busy business owner, you’re worried about summer’s heat and humidity. Winter heating isn’t on your mind right now. Did you know that a spring tune-up is the best time to get your commercial heating system cleaned and inspected?
It may not seem like the best time to have an HVAC technician clean your system, but it’s the ideal time for many reasons. Learn why it’s so important to make a spring tune-up a priority.
Why Spring and Not Fall?
You don’t need the heat for now, so why bother having your business’s heating system cleaned? There are three main reasons.
1. Heating Specialists Aren’t Busy
While AC technicians are swamped with work in the summer months, heating technicians aren’t busy. That makes it easy to get an appointment for a time and day that’s most convenient to you. You can also benefit from off-season specials.
2. There’s Extra Time to Get Necessary Parts
HVAC technicians try to keep every part on their repair truck, but some parts require special orders. If you have a part that’s not available and has to be ordered. It may take weeks before that part arrives.
If you need heat, suppose you learn it’s going to take a month for the part to arrive. You’re without heat for a month when you need it most. Will your employees want to work? Will your customers want to shop? If there’s a quick freeze, you could end up paying for frozen pipes, too.
When you have your heating system cleaned in the spring, it’s not a problem if the part won’t arrive for a month. You have time to spare before winter arrives again.
3. You Won’t Pay More for Emergency Service
If you wait until you need the heating system to warm your business, what happens if it doesn’t turn on? It’s cold, your employers and customers are complaining, and you have two choices. You can pay the additional fee for an emergency repair, or wait, and have workers and customers who don’t want to enter your business. It’s going to cost you extra simply because you waited.
The Main Benefits of a Spring Tune-Up
That’s why you should have your commercial heating system cleaned in the off-season. What are the benefits of a spring tune-up?
1. Better System Performance
A clean system works efficiently. With all of the moving parts like fans and pumps working properly, burners allowing the right flow of gas or heating oil, and the proper calibration of the thermostat, you save money on heating bills and have a heating system that works as you expect it to and keeps everyone warm and toasty when winter arrives.
2. Longer Lifespan for Your Heating System
A well-maintained business heating system lasts longer. When you’re taking the time and spending the money to ensure the system works properly, it keeps components from breaking due to improper adjustments or calibrations, poor fuel flow, or lack of lubrication.
You spent a lot of money on your heating system. You want to get your money’s worth. Instead of a poorly maintained system making it to just 10 years, you could have a heating system that keeps your business at the proper temperature for 20 years.
3. You Keep Your Workers, Customers, and Property Safe
The actual number of carbon monoxide deaths each year is over 400, but there are no accurate statistics for workplace incidents resulting in death from carbon monoxide. However, around 10,000 workers are left with lasting effects every year due to exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide isn’t something you can see or smell. It’s invisible. You don’t know you’re being poisoned until the symptoms arrive, and they include headache, dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. Continued exposure can impact your coordination. A worker may fall from a height simply because carbon monoxide affected the worker’s coordination.
Another aspect of a commercial boiler or furnace is that the fuel that triggers the flame that heats the air or water might start to leak. An undiagnosed gas leak is a hazard that must be addressed. If a fire and explosion occur, your property could end up destroyed or significantly damaged.
Many commercial heating systems also help provide healthy indoor air. Indoor air quality (IAQ) isn’t going to be adequate if routine tasks like air filter changes are happening. Germs enter the recycled air and are more likely to spread viral and bacterial diseases through the vents to others in the workplace. If your business works with pollutants and industrial cleaners, proper IAQ is essential for your employees’ safety.
4. Save Money
When you have a properly inspected, cleaned, and tuned commercial heating system, you pay less on your heating bills because your system is running efficiently. You use less energy and heating fuel.
Emergency repairs are costly. Having your system cleaned and inspected before the heating season starts helps you avoid unexpected issues when you need the heat the most.
If your commercial heating system is under warranty and you’ve failed to schedule routine cleanings, you could void your warranty. Future repairs that would have been covered are now something you must pay for out of pocket.
What Happens During a Comprehensive Spring Tune-Up
When you schedule a comprehensive commercial heating system tune-up, what does it entail? At Air Blue, heating system cleanings include inspections and tests of the following.
1. Furnace:
- Blower motor
- Blower wheel
- Burners
- Capacitor
- Circuit board
- Flame sensor
- Flue pipe
- Gas valve
- Heat exchanger
- Ignitor
- Inducer motor
- Low-voltage wire
- Plenum and duct
- Shutoffs
- Thermocouple
- Thermostat
In addition, the heating system technician will check carbon monoxide levels and detect and repair any leaks. Air filters, drains, and water sensors are checked. If there are any problems, they’re repaired before you turn on your system this coming fall.
2. Boiler:
If your commercial heating system is a boiler rather than a furnace, the following maintenance takes place.
- Adjust the flame
- Check the air supply and intakes
- Check all gas and electrical connections
- Check and grease the pumps
- Check carbon monoxide levels and address any leaks
- Check that the amp draws are proper
- Check the flue
- Check the ventilation draft
- Clean and inspect the burners
- Examine the drain
- Inspect and test the shut-offs
- Inspect the flame after turning the system on
- Inspect the heat exchanger
- Test and adjust gas pressure if necessary
- Test the safety relief
- Test the thermostat
Don’t Trust Your HVAC Equipment to the First HVAC Company You Find
Always make sure you choose the right HVAC professional. Ask about the certifications the technicians hold. Are they insured and bonded? Do they offer regular maintenance agreements or discounts on commercial heating system cleanings? Do their customers give glowing reviews?
Get your commercial heating system cleaned before winter arrives. When you call to schedule a cleaning, ask about discounts or regular maintenance agreements that help customers save money. Air Blue is here to help ensure your commercial HVAC system works properly throughout the winter season. Your complete satisfaction is our promise to you.
