If your heating or cooling system stops working properly—or worse, goes out completely—you may be tempted to try to fix it yourself. While there are several minor maintenance and repair tasks most people can do, it’s best to leave the repairs to trained professionals. Here are some of the reasons why.

DIY HVAC Repairs: Do

• Filter changes: Most homeowners can easily change the air filters in a heating or cooling system. This is an expected component of homeowner maintenance and usually requires nothing more than locating the filter, sliding the dirty filter out of its frame, and sliding a new, clean filter in.
• Cleaning: Cleaning is also a task that can fall to nonprofessionals. Dusting the internal system, washing the outdoor unit, and cleaning leaves, grass, and other debris away from the outdoor unit are commonly done by homeowners.

DIY HVAC Repairs: Don’t

• Don’t try to fix electrical or gas systems: An error in trying to repair an electrical system can cause you to get a severe electrical shock. Electrical errors can also lead to fires. Problems with gas systems could cause gas leaks that lead to fires or explosions. If your system uses refrigerant, trying to repair it could expose you to this harmful substance. Keep yourself safe and let the professionals work on these systems.
• Don’t void the warranty: Some HVAC equipment manufacturers make it a condition of the warranty that repairs be performed by a qualified HVAC pro. If you work on your HVAC system, and you are not a licensed expert, you could void the warranty.
• Don’t make matters worse: A mistake made during an attempted DIY HVAC repair could make things worse instead of better. You could unintentionally introduce problems or cause damage that you’ll have a pay an HVAC pro to fix later.

Powers Heating and Air is the premier choice for professional HVAC sales, service, and maintenance in Peachtree City. Contact us today for more information on DIY HVAC repairs and why you should avoid them—and for expert HVAC services to ensure your systems are running safely and properly.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040. 

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”