Many homeowners take pride in being handy around the house. After years spent renting, it’s an amazing feeling to have control over your home, and it makes perfect sense to want to care for it with your own hands. And these days, you can find a video online explaining how to do just about anything!
There are certain jobs you really shouldn’t attempt to DIY, though. Certain things require specialized tools or training, or can seriously risk your safety if you meddle with them. HVAC systems should only be maintained and repaired by qualified professionals. We’ll explain why.
Safety
Some homes use natural gas for part of their HVAC systems, and this poses some serious risks if you don’t have the right training and certifications. You could set off an explosion, or do something that leaves you with a slow leak of gas or carbon monoxide, threatening the health and safety of your whole family. And in most areas, you’re legally required to be licensed to work on gas appliances.
Other heating systems, and all air conditioners and heat pumps, use electricity. This also needs to be handled by someone with the right safety training. A homeowner could shock themselves severely, or do a small amount of damage to the wiring that, unbeknownst to you, leaves you with a frightening risk of an electrical fire.
Warranty
The moment a homeowner tries to repair an air conditioner or furnace, their warranty will be voided. This means that no matter what goes wrong with the system in the future, even if it’s entirely the manufacturer’s fault, they won’t be responsible for covering costs related to repair or replacement. Keeping your system under warranty could save you a lot of money, so always rely on professional technicians.
Risk of Damage
These systems are complex. There are a lot of components, crammed together into cabinets, and it’s very easy to cause another problem while fixing the one you already had. When you watch a video telling you how to do one specific thing, you won’t have the overall knowledge about the entire system that a qualified technician has. You could end up needing even more repairs.
Ease and Speed of Repairs
When you’ve never done something before, you take a lot longer at it than you would if you’d done it a hundred times. It can take many hours to complete a DIY repair that a technician could do in twenty minutes, and you might be pulling your hair out with frustration the whole time, or taking repeated trips to the hardware store for parts you’ll later realize you didn’t need after all.
Maintenance You Can Do Yourself
While you shouldn’t attempt to fix a problem with your HVAC system, you can take steps to reduce the risk of problems happening at all! Furnace and air conditioner air filters should be changed monthly. And the systems and the space around them should be kept clean and clear of anything that might interfere with air circulation. But when you do need HVAC repair in Coleraine, MN, call a professional!
Reach out to Mesaba Heating & Air Conditioning today. Service to you is success to us!