For anyone who owns or manages a business, it is clear that things are a bit different than they are at home. The size of building systems like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are much bigger than residential systems and are under much more stress.

This increased size and increased use means that maintaining a commercial building system requires much more work and routine maintenance than a residential system does. Most people don't understand how complicated HVAC systems are or how much work they take to maintain. In order to help our customers get the most out of their systems, we've decided to offer in-depth information about how to care for a commercial HVAC system.

The first major "special concern" that businesses have is the health of their employees. In homes, making sure an HVAC system is healthy is a little bit easier because there is usually just one vent per room and all it takes is a glance in that direction to make sure the vent is clear of debris, mold, or mildew. In a commercial HVAC system, however, it takes a lot more work to ensure that the building's indoor air quality meets government standards.

Since there are air vents all over the building and in places that are not easy to see or access, it is always a good idea to have a professional HVAC company come out twice yearly to assess the health of the system and check the vents for possible hazardous growth.Another important part of maintaining air quality and maximizing the life span of the HVAC components is to replace filters every few months. Depending on the filter, it may remove dust, pollen, or even microscopic materials from the air.

Changing the filters prevents these things from getting re-circulated but also makes sure they don't get sucked into, and break, the various HVAC components. Clogged filters are unable to continue cleaning the air and can actually make it dirtier. Aside from the increased allergens and pollutants flying around the building, clogged filters can decrease the air flow necessary to make sure the HVAC system functions properly. Results of clogged air filters may include burned-out motors and rusted fans.