During winter, our electricity bill is lower than throughout summer. We have the ducted air conditioning on 24/7 during summer but in winter, we only put the heating on in extremely cold spells – like now.
It makes sense in the down time of our electricity usage to get maintenance checks on two of the hardest working appliances on our property. These are two checks that most people don’t get done until they have an issue. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right? Well this is wrong on two major appliances in your household. I’m going to share with you two maintenance checks you should get done during winter and how they can help you save money in the long run.
Hot Water Units
Did you know your hot water unit should be checked regularly? Harley Plumbing recommend getting your hot water unit checked every 2 years to ensure valves are working properly and to ensure the hot water output is at the recommended temperature of 50 + degrees set by the tempering valve. Valves don’t always hold the same temperature nor do they have a lifetime guarantee so it is important to get them checked regularly.
Getting your hot water unit checked every two years not only ensures everything is working as it should, it also allows your plumber to give you a timeframe on when the unit may need to be replaced if it’s older or starts to become temperamental. I don’t know how many times I felt for my own customers when their hot water unit would stop working in the peak of winter when hot showers and baths are a necessary convenience and they would bit hit with an unexpected four figure bill to replace it. Had they gotten a regular service check they could have at least had a 6 to 12 month warning so they could save for the new purchase and install.
In recent years, the government has relaxed laws on the type of hot water unit you can install on your property. Majority of the greener hot water units available are more expensive than a typical mains pressure electric hot water unit. Your plumber will be able to give you advice on the right hot water unit for your property and ensure it regulates with the ruling in your area.
Regular maintenance could add years to the life of your hot water unit. When organizing a routine check on your hot water unit, have a list of other plumbing issues your plumber can fix for you at the same time to make use of the call out fee.
Ducted Air Conditioning Units
It’s important to get your ducted air conditioning unit checked during its non-peak season. Generally Spring and Autumn are good if you use the heat for winter and air conditioning during summer. But if you don’t use the heating during winter, now is the perfect time to get a maintenance check on your ducted air unit. Don’t ask me why but the time when an air conditioning unit decides to stop working is in the peak of summer when you need your house to be cooled. Leaving the check until Summer may mean you might not get an appointment for a couple of weeks because its peak season for mechanical plumbers. Sometimes priority is given to properties whose air conditioners aren’t working but this may not be the case for all plumbers.
The maintenance check will look at the filter, ducts and the unit outside. One of our technicians once found a dead rat in the fan compartment of our system. Our neighbors were kind enough to tell us our system kept making a thudding noise when we had the heating on. Thankfully our routine maintenance check hadn’t been booked and the issue could be removed!
The year we didn’t organise a maintenance check on our unit meant we were without air conditioning during 1 week in February right before I was due with Magdalene. Thankfully the weather was cooler in that week, but we found out our unit had a gas leak and needed more gas. It was an $1100 bill we did not expect right before the birth of our baby and if we hadn’t of skipped our usual check during winter, the potential leak could have been spotted.
Do you ever get your appliances checked during winter? Have you had any unexpected bills lately? I’d love to know.
I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.
