Homeowner maintenance- what to do, look for?

[mossie]

I have a heat pump, and central air, split system. I bought this house a couple of years, which was built in '87. The air handler is a Trane, the outside unit is American Standard. I'm assuming maybe the outside unit was replaced at some point, being a different brand.

The maintenance I did:
I cleaned the electronic air cleaner, and prefilters Replaced the wall return grill air filter
Vacuumed out dirt in ductwork behind the wall filter housing
Vacuumed out dirt from the ductwork under the EAC
Vacuumed off the coil prior to the blow assy.
Checked the outside unit to make sure it was clean and unclogged from debris.

Anything else I should do or look for?

How often should I have it inspected by a qualified technician?

[jdenyer]

You have done just about all a homeowner should do. Is this a heat-pump with electric backup? If so I would have a good reputable tech come out every 2 years to check charge and oil motors, clean coils etc. If this is a heat-pump with gas backup then I would have them check it yearly to make sure the gas portion is working properly. Just my opinion.

[smokin68]

sounds like you care about your equipment. The best policy IMO is to have it serviced once in the spring and once in the fall, but at least once a year. That way if a prob is developing, it can be caught before it gets worse, and your equipment will be operating at it's peak performance.

[beenthere]

Agree with smokin68, min once a year for a heat pump.

[mossie]

I have no gas, so I guess the emergency heat switch on the thermostat is what you're calling electric backup??

I called an HVAC service that will come out in a couple of weeks to check the heating, and will come back in the spring to check the air conditioning.

Appreciate the replies.

[Steve Wiggins]

Originally posted by mossie

I called an HVAC service

This is probably the single biggest mistake a homeowner makes on a regular basis. You are not looking for a company, you are looking for a person. Sorry to say you are going to get the greenest rookie that just fell off the back of the turnip truck.

[smokin68]

Even the greenest rookie can clean the unit and take readings, then it's up to the supervisor to take it from there.We were all green once... While I like small individually owned companys,that way I know who is responsible, even a self employed person can be worse than a green rookie without proper training. this Homeowner is scheduling service, I think a wise move.