Like any other piece of equipment in your home, your household furnace needs to be regularly cleaned, maintained and periodically checked and serviced by professionals.
A lot of homeowners think that because they have a new system installed in their houses, they do not need to care much about its maintenance anymore.
Nothing could be farther from the truth — in fact, manufacturers encourage their customers to regularly maintain their household furnaces and even keep a service record.
Why is furnace maintenance important?
2 Reasons why furnaces should be regularly cleaned and maintained
One key furnace component that homeowners should regularly check and maintain is the heat exchanger. This component removes poisonous gases away from your home.
Now, a furnace component will regularly expand and contract. This expansion and contraction can lead to cracks which paves the way for carbon monoxide to leak inside your home. In some cases, these leaks go unnoticed because the gas is colorless and has no smell.
There are two key reasons why you need to clean and maintain your household furnace, no matter what type you currently have.
1. Efficiency; Performs Better and Saves You Money
First, cleaning a furnace is crucial because dirt can undermine its performance. Quite simply, a dirty furnace wastes more fuel which, in turn, translates to higher heating costs for you. On top of higher heating costs, dirty furnaces are susceptible to breakdowns which can add to your monthly costs.
Dirt can get into the filters, blower and motors. You can either replace or clean the filters, ideally before the cooler months start and monthly thereafter.
But apart from the furnace and its components, you should also remember to clean your home’s duct system. Cleaning the ducts can help improve air quality inside your home. And clean indoor air helps minimize the presence of molds and allergens while improving ventilation, reducing dust, and reducing heating costs.
Regular cleaning and maintenance can help eliminate the problem of temperature variance inside a building. If some areas in your home are warmer than the other areas, you need to check your furnace.
Regular maintenance can also prolong the lifespan of your heating system. On average, a household furnace can last up to 20 years (that is if you clean and maintain it regularly). Failure to do these can shorten the system’s lifespan and accelerate the wear and tear of its different components.
2. Safety; It can be a Fire Hazard
The second, and more important reason regular furnace cleaning and maintenance can substantially reduce the risk of fires in your home. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association reports that the presence of heating equipment is one of the leading causes of fires in American homes.
But it is not just the furnace that requires TLC. You should also need to make sure that the duct work in your home is regularly cleaned and maintained; otherwise, molds, allergens and dust could wreak havoc in your home while optimal airflow could be compromised.
Household Furnace maintenance – what can you do?
There are a few things that homeowners can do to maintain their household furnace.
One of the easiest things that homeowners can do is to change the filters regularly. Dirty filters can cause poor indoor air quality, hasten the wear and tear of the system, and increase energy cost.
According to HVAC experts, the filter should be replaced at least every three months. During winter, you should check the filter monthly and replace it when needed.
Another thing that you can do by yourself is to perform a visual inspection of the furnace, looking for warning signs that indicate problems.
Heating experts also suggest the installation of a programmable thermostat which will help your furnace run more efficiently.
If you have some DIY experience, there are a few other tasks that you can perform, including inspection of electrical connections, lubrication of moving parts, inspection of exhaust outlets, fuel lines, connections and heat exchangers.
Call in the experts
Apart from cleaning and maintaining your household furnace, experts recommend having your system checked and serviced by professionals at least once a year.
Professional inspection helps ensure that your furnace is in good running order, especially during the cooler months.
Professionals can also identify potential problems before these worsen and cause hassles and health risks, as well as hazards like fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Acting promptly on these issues will not only help eliminate these hazards; prompt action can also help you save a substantial amount of money over the long term.
HVAC professionals can check your home’s duct work and the furnace’s motor and its bearings; they can also clean and replace filters. They can also perform repairs for issues like loose blower belts, burner issues, and loose wiring.
If you are looking to save money toward furnace inspections, you might want to consider opting for a service contract with a reputable company. Not only will these ensure the optimal performance and maintenance of your furnace, but you can also take advantage of a preferred scheduling status.
Taking the proper steps to maintaining your household furnace will not only help with your homes air quality but will also save you money in the long run. To learn more about what you need to do, call Ventwerx today!
