Maintenance
Owning, or even sometimes renting, a home in Saint Joseph, MN, requires general maintenance to keep your investment in working order. It’s really all about being prepared. Per Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Maintaining your home’s systems and appliances wards off emergency situations and costly repairs while extending your equipment’s life. Take the time and money to perform general maintenance on a regular basis. Many of the maintenance services require the knowledge, skills, and tools of a professional. During the maintenance or service call, our technician will make any necessary repairs and/or alert you of a possible situation. Call Precise Heating to assist you in maintaining any of the following or to answer any questions you may have:
Furnace Maintenance
We highly recommend an annual service tune-up and cleaning for your furnace. Typically the optimum time of year to perform the maintenance is the fall, before you fire up your furnace for the cold weather. The purpose of the service tune-up is to keep your system running at top efficiency throughout the season, so you have heat whenever you need it. Our experienced technician will clean and check all the connections, controls, sensors, drains, motors, ducts, valves, and blowers, as well as your ignition assembly, thermostat(s), and smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors. Following your tune-up, our technician will instruct you on anything you could do yourself as maintenance between our service visits. One absolute action you can take is to change your furnace filter with the correct replacement every three months, or as needed. This goes a long way in extending the life of your furnace, as well as keeping your furnace repairs to a minimum and your indoor air quality high.
Boiler Maintenance
When you invest in a boiler system, you want to ensure it warms your home on a continued basis as efficiently as the day it was installed. You also want to do all you can to support the longevity of your system. Proper regular maintenance accomplishes both of these. A boiler is complex and requires a professional hand on an annual basis to clean and check it. During your maintenance service, our professional technicians will clean and check your boiler’s burners, combustion chamber, heat exchanger, controls, vents, tank, pipes, belts, anode rods, connections, drains, linings, and all connected components, as well as your thermostat(s) and smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors. Following your tune-up, our technician will instruct you on anything you could do yourself as maintenance between our service visits. One absolute action you can take is to change your boiler filter with the correct replacement every three months, or as needed. This goes a long way in extending the life of your furnace, as well as keeping your furnace repairs to a minimum and your indoor air quality high.
Air Conditioner Maintenance
For air conditioners, an annual service tune-up and cleaning is recommended, usually performed in the spring. Our professional technician will check and clean the connections, coils, blower components, lines, refrigerant, drain, fuses, and thermostat(s), as well as lubricate all working parts. Maintenance you can do yourself between service visits is to remove any yard debris or vegetation from the top and sides of your outdoor air conditioner unit, as well as to keep it covered with an air conditioner cover or tarp in the winter.
Heat Pump Maintenance
For heat pumps, an annual service tune-up and cleaning is recommended, usually performed in the fall, same as furnaces and boilers. Our professional technician will check and clean ducts, filters, blower, indoor coil, ducts, refrigerant, electric terminals, connections, motors, and belts, as well as lubricate all working parts. Be sure to change or clean the filter every three months or as needed. You can also clean the outdoor coils whenever they seem dirty, and keep yard debris and vegetation away from the unit.
Whole-House Humidifier Maintenance
For whole-house humidifiers, an annual service tune-up and cleaning is recommended, usually performed at the same time as your furnace tune-up and cleaning. Our professionals include this maintenance along with the furnace appointment. Typically there isn’t much in the way of maintenance; however, our technician will change your humidifier pad and clean any mineral buildup you may have (in the case of hard water). Ask our technician to show you how to dissolve the buildup on your own every few months to keep your humidifier working at top efficiency.
Air-Filtration System Maintenance
For air-filtration systems, regular maintenance is something your can perform on your own. Maintenance on an air-filtration system usually just means changing or cleaning the filter every three to nine months. But you should check with the manufacturer’s specific recommendations. Changing or cleaning your filter on a regular basis will ensure the best filtration for your home as well as extend the life of the system. If you need any assistance or would like to install an air-filtration system, feel free to talk with one of our professionals at Precise Heating.
General Plumbing Maintenance
For the plumbing in your home, an annual plumbing inspection is recommended. Our professional plumber will check the plumbing and equipment in your home, letting you know if there’s anything to repair or replace, and to alert you about possible impending issues. A plumbing inspection typically will include the inspection of your water heater, water softener, inside/outside faucets, sinks, pipes, garbage disposal, toilets, sump pump and its discharge line (backup pump, if you have one), well tank or city water supply and meter, shut-off valves, and waste stacks. This inspection will usually ward off any plumbing emergencies during the year by giving you an accurate assessment of the plumbing’s condition in your home.
Water Heater Maintenance
For water heaters, an annual inspection and service is recommended, usually included in your annual plumbing inspection (any required service would be separate). Either have one of our professional plumbers perform the required maintenance, especially if you’re uncomfortable doing it yourself, or do it yourself. To keep your water heater running efficiently, you want to check the pressure valve, check the anode rod, flush the tank (due to sediment buildup), adjust the temperature (if needed), and insulate the pipes and tank (if needed). Once again, one of our professional plumbers can easily do this service for you to help in extending the life of your water heater.
Water Softener Maintenance
For water softeners, an annual inspection is recommended, usually included in your annual plumbing inspection (any required service would be separate). Typically, water softeners require minimal maintenance; however, if you notice a change in your water quality, your softener could require service sooner. Most water softeners just require the addition of the right kind of salt as maintenance, usually on a quarterly basis, by you or a professional. If you notice a change in your water, ask one of our plumbers to inspect your unit and take a water sample.
Sump Pump Maintenance
For sump pumps, an annual inspection is recommended (start of spring is best), usually included in your annual plumbing inspection. Our professional plumber will check the sump pump pit for debris that could interfere with its operation. The plumber will also unplug the pump and take a look at its intake, impeller, and air bleed or weep hole. The float valve will be checked by dumping about five gallons of water into the pit. If you’re in an especially flood-prone area of Saint Joseph, MN, our plumber may recommend a backup sump pump, which can save your home from flooding during power outages.
At Precise Heating, we’re here to to assist you in maintaining your home’s systems or to answer any of your questions about maintenance. Keeping your equipment in good working order allows you peace of mind to know they’ll be there when you need them. It also makes good financial sense to keep equipment serviced to help extend their life spans. Here in Saint Joseph, MN, call us at 320-363-7401 to make an appointment now.
Need Maintenance Service?
Contact the experts at Precise Heating.
Call us at 320-363-7401!
Precise Heating proudly provides HVAC service to Albany, Avon, Clearwater, Coldspring, Holdingford, Paynesville, Rice, Saint Cloud, Saint Joseph, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and the surrounding communities. Visit our service area page for more coverage details, call us at 320-363-7401, or request service online today.