This blog post also could have accurately been titled, “How to Ensure Your Gas Furnace Operates Safely.” That said, we aren’t insinuating that gas powered furnaces are inherently dangerous. We’re not out to incite panic among homeowners. However, not taking care of your gas powered furnace could potentially make it dangerous.
What we mean by this, is that you have to have it professionally maintained each year. Professional maintenance allows our technicians to comprehensively clean, adjust, and inspect each and every component within your system to ensure that nothing is out of place or showing signs of wear. One component in particular is especially important here—the heat exchanger.
Damaged heat exchangers aren’t common, and they are most likely to occur in aging furnaces—furnaces that are 15 years old or older. This doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have this problem with a new furnace, but it is something to keep in mind. If your gas furnace is more than a decade old, it’s time to explore its potential risks—and a cracked heat exchanger could be one of these risks.
When you compare our climate to that of other parts of the country, you can’t really call our winters “harsh.” But just because we don’t have bone-chillingly cold winters—and even that is debatable, depending on who you ask—doesn’t mean our winters aren’t cold enough to need a fully functional and efficiently operating heater on our side. Could you imagine on the coldest evening, going to turn on your heater to discover it doesn’t work?
“Do I really need heating maintenance?”
With how much we use our heating systems during the winter, it’s no secret that homeowners would like to do everything they can to avoid costly utility bills. Sure, your energy bills are going to raise in the wintertime (as well as the summer time) as your HVAC systems take up about half of all your energy use. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to increase their efficiency and thereby lower the costs a bit.
Wintertime is the time of year when our heating systems are truly put to the test. Because of the strain they go through this time of year versus in milder weather, it tends to be when problems arise. Since you need your system to function at its best this time of year, this is obviously not ideal. It pays to ensure you schedule routine maintenance each year, and to keep a watch for signs of trouble with your heater.
If you’ve followed our blog from the beginning, you’ve likely seen it in writing many times that we recommend you change your HVAC air filter every 1-3 months. We aren’t just throwing this out as a suggestion—we are offering this advice as a way for you to get the most effective and efficient use from your heater (and air conditioner) as possible.
Fall is trekking right along and the official start of winter is less than a month away. Chances are, you’ve begun running your heater on a daily basis already… and more cold weather is on its way. This means if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to check your heating system for any signs of trouble. Problems from last year won’t have gone away this year without professional care—and this can be compounded by lack of use over the months. Running your system on a regular basis when it’s not performing at its best will only end in frustration—and probably a broken down heater.
When it comes to your comfort, it’s hard to ignore some signs that your HVAC system is struggling. For instance, if it’s in the middle of winter and your vents are blowing out cool or lukewarm air, you’ll likely give our pros a call right away for repairs. For other problems though, such as funny noises, you may be tempted to wait on calling in a pro, or you may decide to ignore the sounds altogether, shrugging it off as a normal part of furnace operation.
With temps still in the 90’s, it may seem pretty odd to even be talking about our heating systems. But, there’s actually no better time to start thinking about scheduling heating maintenance! In fact, fall is the best time since weather is usually milder and you don’t have to worry about being without your HVAC system while your tune-up is performed.
Temperatures are growing warmer, and soon enough it will be the official start of spring. You may still be using your heating system on a regular basis right now, and if so we hope it’s performing as efficiently and effectively as it should. If you had maintenance done this past fall, and took care of any recommended repairs, then you likely have nothing to worry about.