MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With warm spring weather comes a renewed motivation to tackle cleaning and maintenance projects in and around the house. According to American Home Shield, the nation’s largest provider of home warranties, cleaning and checking air conditioning units should be at the top of every homeowner’s spring to-do list.
While homeowners can handle some simple upkeep tasks on their own, there are a few projects that even the most experienced “do-it-yourselfers” should leave to a service professional.
In fact, the central heating and air conditioning system is the number one system contractors say they wish homeowners would stop trying to fix on their own and leave to trained experts to service, according to a recent national survey of American Home Shield’s contractor network. The survey also found that HVAC systems end up being one of the most common and expensive repairs for homeowners.
“Sometimes a do-it-yourself fix can do more harm than good,” says Dave Quandt, vice president of field services at American Home Shield, a business unit of ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV). “When a homeowner is dealing with an expensive, intricate or critical home system like a home’s heating and cooling system, calling a professional is the best way to avoid a potentially bigger issue down the road.”
Of nearly 4 million service requests placed by American Home Shield customers last year, more than 30 percent were related to breakdowns of heating and air conditioning systems.
With temperatures already on the rise across the nation, the company is urging homeowners to take action now to get their air conditioning systems ready for summer. Not sure what to do? Here’s a list of tips that will help make sure you keep your cool when the summer heat settles in:
HVAC Tips: Do-it-Yourself
- Turn it on now before temperatures climb any higher, and let it run for 30 minutes or more. If it’s not cooling properly, call a professional to help get your unit in shape before you really need it.
- Inspect the area around your unit’s condenser and clear off any leaves or debris.
- Make sure there is good air flow around the unit.
- Give the exterior portion of the unit a good rinse with a garden hose.
- Don’t forget to change or clean your unit’s filter once per month.
- To keep your unit running efficiently, adjust your programmable thermostat no more than 2 or 3 degrees at a time.
- Schedule regular maintenance on your unit, including having the indoor coil and blower professionally cleaned before each cooling season.
HVAC Tips: Leave it to the Pros
- Check refrigerant levels and top off with fluid, if needed.
- Clean the intricate portions on the inside of the unit, including the indoor coil or blower.
For more information and helpful spring maintenance tips and videos from American Home Shield, visit www.ahs.com or the Home Matters blog and YouTube channel, which have hundreds of tips, videos and content to help homeowners protect their homes from the inside out.
About American Home Shield
American Home Shield founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains the industry leader. American Home Shield, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, services 1.6 million customers in all 50 states. The companies operate four customer service centers, employ approximately 1,800 employees and have a national contractor network made up of over 12,000 independent home service contractors and more than 45,000 service technicians. American Home Shield is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. Go to www.ahs.com for more information about American Home Shield or follow the company online at www.facebook.com/team.ahs or www.twitter.com/AHS_Warranty.
About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) solves the homeowner's dilemma. Every day, we visit more than 75,000 homes and businesses through our extensive service network of expert professionals. Technology powers our trusted experts to engage with customers so they can order, buy and receive services when, where and how they want them. Our well-recognized brands includes American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial and residential floor cleaning), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). Like, follow or visit us at facebook.com/ServiceMaster, linkedin.com/ServiceMaster, twitter.com/ServiceMaster, or servicemaster.com.
Survey Methodology
The 2016 AHS National Contractor Survey presents the findings of an online survey conducted from November 29-December 31, 2016 among a sample of 902 contractors in the American Home Shield network.
