Attachment 109236
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
Not really. I have never paid for any HVAC maintenance and my systems have all lasted at least 15 to 20 years, with no real issues.
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So here is the reality. There is nothing wrong with your maintenance plan except you are not checking the refrigerant pressures and temperatures, sub-cooling and super heat. Although your system may be "runnng fine", there is really no way to know for sure and that it's running efficiently unless you check the refrigerant and OR you check your Delta-T which no one here has mentioned.
Delta-T is something every homeowner can do themselves to get an "idea" of how well their system is running. How do you test it? You get a temperature probe from Amazon, for example and when the system is running at 100% on a warm or hot day, subtract the return air or input air temperature going into your air handler from the supply air or output coming out of your air handler. The difference is called Delta-T and should be anywhere from 18-24 degrees difference. On older systems you may see 15-18 degrees difference which means the system is cooling just not as efficiently as it could be. Now one issue with Delta-T measurements is you have to assume your system is sized correctly. If it's not, on a very hot day your Delta-T may be lower than all other days of the year because your system can't keep up.
So all that said, if you maintain your own system, either with a professional checking it once a year and you doing whatever maintenance you can do or those who only clean the filters and the coils, checking the Delta-T temperature will give you a good idea on how well the system is actually working assuming everything in the system is in good working order. Remember, just because your system "seems" to be runnung fine, it may not be and you are wasting money every month running an inefficient system that might easily be fixed.
If you are not testing, you are guessing.
Hope this all helps.
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