Benefits of Preparing your Heater Before Winter

Why Maintenance is Important!

Old man winter’s on his way. Don’t get left out in the cold because you didn’t have the proper upkeep and maintenance on your equipment! Would you drive your car and never change your oil! Of course not! You know that it would ruin your motor. Well your furnace requires regular maintenance as well.

The major thing a homeowner can do is to make sure your filter gets checked. If it is dirty, then change it. If it is a washable filter, then wash it. Keeping your filter clean will reduce energy costs and increase the operation efficiency of your heating equipment. It will also help improve the quality of air you breathe in your home – which is especially beneficial if you have allergies!

A furnace can emit carbon monoxide gas if not operating efficiently, so it is important to have a professional technician inspect your furnace with a combustion analyzer each season. Small cracks in the heat exchanger may not be noticeable with the naked eye, so a combustion analyzer is a specialty tool, designed to detect carbon monoxide in your home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas, which makes it unable to detect without a specialized tool. Low levels of carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms, making you and your family sick.

Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can even cause death. Keeping your family safe is part of the maintenance process. An HVAC professional will be able to adjust your gas pressure so that it will burn efficiently and safely – saving you money on your utility bills. Regular maintenance on your heating equipment will not only ensure the safety of its operation, it will also catch small problems before they become large, expensive ones. Other components checked, cleaned and adjusted during a furnace maintenance include cleaning the orifice, adjusting the pilot assembly, checking the pressure switch, check capacitors, check fan motors, tighten electrical connections as well as others.

The homeowner needs to keep all the vents in your house open to make sure they are allowing air to properly flow. This allows for the correct amount of air circulation. Your equipment has been designed to operate with all the air vents open. Blockages cause your system to work harder than necessary, leading to equipment failure and higher energy bills.

The benefits of having your heater ready for winter will leave you feeling warm and cozy knowing that you have taken the proper steps to keep your family warm and safe.